ISABELA CITY, Basilan – The Chief of
Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Gen. Emmanuel T. Bautista,
recently visited the headquarters of the Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM)
to meet with military commanders and assess the progress of the Internal Peace
and Security Operations (IPSO) efforts in this part of the country.
Western
Mindanao Command provided Gen. Bautista an information briefing about the
current peace and security efforts of the command to include its actions taken
in response to the Sabah crisis.
Col. Rodrigo
T Gregorio, WESMINCOM Public Information Officer, disclosed that these efforts
of the military include deterring and preventing reinforcements in Sabah.
He said the
WESMINCOM would pursue to suppress and diffuse the tension through extensive
collaboration with the different stakeholders, and to extend help to those
displaced Filipinos in Sabah in the form of transportation, rescue and health
services.
On the same
occasion, Gen. Bautista underscored the important role of the command in the
forthcoming May 13, 2013 midterm elections and encouraged the subordinate commanders
to constantly engage with the different stakeholders, government and
nongovernment agencies, civil society organizations and other people’s
organization to ensure the conduct of peaceful, orderly and credible elections.
He further
encouraged all AFP units to consult COMELEC officials for any clarification on
the guidelines, and maximize the use of “established mechanism” like the Joint
Peace and Security Coordinating Centers (JPSCC) for a peaceful balloting.
He later expressed
his satisfaction with the command’s performance especially in its handling and
management of the recent Sabah crisis in both internal security and
humanitarian efforts and commended all the members of WESTMINCOM for a job well
done. (PIA9)