If elected, Duterte vows to deploy more troops to Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines - Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte says he would add 3,000 more special forces troops to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for deployment in Mindanao should he be elected as the country’s next president.

"I will add 3,000 more regular men in the armed forces, and train them either as scout rangers or special forces to combat lawless elements. Matapang ang mga kriminal. Kaya kailangan matapang din ang solusyon. Hindi pwede dito ang pateka-teka. This problem is not for the faint-hearted," Duterte said in a statement.

Duterte said there is a need to beef-up internal security forces in the country especially following the attack by the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Central Mindanao on Christmas eve that left at least 10 persons dead.

"If they will continue with their atrocious acts despite our efforts to spread economic development, decentralize and democratize governance, then we will meet them head on. We will hunt them down. I will not subject my people to worse suffering," Duterte said.

For his part, Duterte’s running mate, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said inclusive economic growth is also necessary to achieve peace in Mindanao.

Cayetano said he and Duterte are pushing for a Mindanao Peace and Development Plan, which will address the region’s decades-old problems on economic instability and armed rebellion, among others.

"Through this plan, Mayor Duterte and I want to allocate at least P800 billion worth of guaranteed funds for 10 years in order to harness the potentials of various sectors in the region, including education, health, agriculture, livelihood, housing, tourism, infrastructure and transportation. On top of this, we plan to allot P1 billion per region, particularly to Mindanao for micro, small and medium enterprise financing," Cayetano said.

Cayetano added that they are pushing for federalism as a unifying peace framework in Mindanao. They said any discussion about peace and development in Mindanao must be based on a just, inclusive and lasting framework among all stakeholders.

"We will be inclusive and talk to all relevant stakeholders to achieve real and lasting peace. That's why we see federalism as a unifying framework for peace and governance," Cayetano said.

"Ang pederalismo ang sasagot hindi lamang sa kawalan ng pagkapantay-pantay sa ating bayan. Ito rin ay pundamental na konektado sa ating layunin na ipamahagi ang kaunlaran sa iba pang rehiyon at probinsiya at makamit ang hinahangad na kapayapaan sa Mindanao," Cayetano said.

The Duterte-Cayetano tandem is also advocating for the establishment of the Mindanao Railway System to connect all food-producing provinces in the region to seaports or cargo-loading airports, and ensure a more efficient and low-cost transport of food commodities throughout the country.

"The Mindanao Railway Project (MRP) would link major cities including Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Zamboanga City, Butuan, Surigao, Davao and General Santos. It will play a major role towards improvement of Mindanao’s intra island accessibility, linkages and seamless multimodal transport networks," Cayetano said.