14 Army squads deployed in Metro Manila for Asean meet

Fourteen Army squads composed of around 140 men each were sent to the slums of Manila yesterday as part of security measures for the ASEAN ministerial meetings this week.

Maj. Gen. Ben Dolorfino, Armed Forces National Capital Region Command chief, said the new troop deployment was approved by Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim.

“With the approval of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr., 14 squads were redeployed yesterday in Moriones, Smokey Mountain in Tondo and in Oroquieta in Sta. Cruz,” he said.         

Dolorfino said the soldiers were deployed in Isla Puting Bato, Parola Compound and Smokey Mountain in Tondo, and a slum area in Oroquieta Street in Sta. Cruz.

The soldiers would be accompanied by a two-man police team in their areas of assignment, he added.

Dolorfino said other teams will be redeployed in the slums of Pandacan to continue the projects that they started after they were recalled before the May 14 elections.

Dolorfino said the soldiers surveyed the residents of a slum area in Oroquieta Street, and were surprised to discover that there is still a place in Manila without water and electricity.

“You can just imagine that right in the heart of Manila there is still a place where people live without electricity and water,” he said.

The troops would be building government projects, as well as coordinating with concerned agencies to establish electricity and water supplies in the area, Dolorfino said.

The military also plans to deploy troops in Marikina, and discussed the matter with Mayor Marides Fernando and members of the city council during a conference last Monday.

Caloocan City Mayor Recom Echiverri has denied Dolorfino’s request to redeploy Army troops in the city’s slums.

The presence of troops in slum areas in Metro Manila is being seen as a big factor in denying communist rebels sanctuary in urban areas. – Jaime Laude