Soldiers sent to secure Boracay

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — The Philippine Army's 301st Infantry Brigade confirmed that 200 soldiers were already deployed to Boracay, to secure the island during its shutdown starting April 26.

Brigadier General Pio Diñoso, 301st IB commander, was in Boracay over the weekend to personally supervise the deployment of 110 Army personnel, 60 members of CAFGU (Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit) Active Auxiliary of CAA, and 30 from the Philippine Navy.

Diñoso however clarified that, while the military would help maintain peace and order in Boracay during the island's closure, they would just stand in support to the Police Regional Office-6, which will lead on security matters.

During his visit, Diñoso said he did not see any impending security threat. Just like the PRO-6 assessment, "so far, protest actions could be the foremost threat as far as security is concerned. The worst we see are possible violent rallies," he said.

If the need arises, however, Diñoso said they could deploy additional soldiers stationed at their Barangay Union detachment in Nabas town, Aklan, a few kilometers from Caticlan in Malay. (FREEMAN)