Airmen take over from mall Marines

Formerly assigned to assist the Philippine National Police, 220 battle-tested Philippine Marines will be pulled out from malls in Metro Manila starting today.

The Marines, according to Metro Manila police director Chief Superintendent Edgar Aglipay, will be "rotated". However, sources said the Marines, deployed in Metro Manila since December, were pulled out to reinforce comrades spearheading the government's fight against the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Central Mindanao.

Aglipay said the Marines will be replaced by the same number of Philippine Air Force (PAF) personnel. "The Marines were not scheduled to be pulled out today, but we were told the (Philippine)

Air Force had allotted 220 men to takeover their posts. . . I was informed that this was merely a 'rotation', their turn to take part in the task force," said Aglipay.

So, from the familiar khaki and olive uniforms of the Marines, residents of Metro Manila will now see blue-uniformed Air Force personnel roaming shopping malls and crowded places.

Aglipay, who heads "Task Force PNP-AFP Tulungan," supervised the deployment of Marines to enhance police visibility in the area.

He added that since the launching of the task force last December, the Marines have helped the police in reducing the number of crimes in Metro Manila such as snatching and pick pocket incidents.

According to Aglipay, the Marines will be sent back to their barracks in Fort Bonifacio. But sources said they would be sent to Mindanao to help their beleaguered comrades now in the thick of fighting the MILF.

Earlier reports showed that the Marines suffered heavy casualties in clashes with the MILF and the AFP decided to pull the 220 men to help in the fighting. --