The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is looking to send additional soldiers to Basilan even as the Senate and House of Representatives agreed to move the date of the inaugural parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to a later date.
AFP Chief, General Romeo Brawner Jr. bared Wednesday, Feb. 5, that they were supposed to pull out some of the troops deployed in the province but a bloody ambush two weeks ago in Sumisip town that killed two military personnel prompted him to enhance the military’s presence, even if it wasn’t an election-related incident.
“We’re still deciding on that [deployment]. In fact, we are supposed to withdraw one unit there but because of what happened, we will no longer pull them out. So our units will stay put in Basilan and we are also studying if we should send more because the Bangsamoro elections were delayed,” he said.
Details of the planned additional force deployment were kept secret by Brawner as of this writing.
The military chief attended the launching of the “100 Days Operational Activities and Solidarity Pact-Signing for the 2025 National and Local Elections and BARMM Parliamentary Election” at the Philippine National Police (PNP) National Headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
“We signed a solidarity pledge today and we vowed that as an organization, the AFP will assist in making sure that the 2015 national midterm elections and BARMM elections be peaceful and secure,” he said.
The AFP has been deputized by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to keep the 2025 polls safe, along with other law enforcement agencies although the Senate and House moved the date of the BARMM elections from May 12 to Oct. 13, 2025. The PNP is the lead agency in securing this year’s polls.
“Our police force is in the frontlines but the AFP will assist them in terms of making sure that our polling centers are secure. We will also help in dismantling private armed groups (PAGs),” Brawner said.
Last Jan. 22, members of the Philippine Army’s 101st Infantry Brigade, 32nd Infantry Battalion were ambushed by lawless elements aided by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) while conducting a security operation in support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sumisip, Basilan. Four individuals died, including two soldiers.
“Our pursuit operations against the lawless group is continuous, the ones who do not belong to the MILF,” Brawner said, noting that coordination was also made with the MILF to surrender other suspects who are identified as Moro fighters.
“We are following the peace mechanisms. We filed a protest against the MILF members who joined the ambush against our troops in Basilan,” he added.
The AFP chief said he also supports the PNP’s ultimatum to its ground units to disband PAGs on or before March 31, ahead of the May polls.
According to police records, there are three active PAGs nationwide located in Central Luzon (Region 3), Central Visayas (Region 7), and Zamboanga Peninsula (Region 9). There are also potential PAGs being monitored in the Ilocos (Region 1), Cagayan Valley (Region 2), Calabarzon (Region 4A), Eastern Visayas (Region 8), and BARMM.
“We will strive to meet the deadline. Of course, we need the cooperation of our people in terms of giving us the information, the reports where the PAGs are, and who these people are. Of course, the candidates should also cooperate, they should refrain from coddling private armed groups,” Brawner said.