Cops, soldiers to remain in Negros town

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Additional military and police personnel deployed in Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental for the midterm elections will remain in the town.

Brig. Gens. Benedict Arevalo and John Bulalacao of the 303rd Infantry Brigade and Western Visayas police, respectively, agreed to the request of newly elected town officials to keep the additional troops beyond the election period, which will end on June 12.

The augmentation forces were deployed after the town was classified as a poll hotspot placed under the control of the Commission on Elections.

Arevalo and Bulalacao attended a post-election assessment of the Regional Joint Security Coordinating Center yesterday. The number of troops to be retained has yet to be determined.

Moises Padilla Mayor-elect Ella Celestina Garcia-Yulo, whose nephew Councilor Michael Garcia and brother Mark were killed in an ambush on April 25, and her runningmate Vice Mayor-elect Ian Villaflor said government troopers should be allowed to stay for security reasons.

More than 300 military and police personnel and two armored personnel carriers aside from 200 local police officers were deployed in Moises Padilla during the elections.

Yulo and Villaflor said the presence of augmentation forces was instrumental in ensuring peace and order.