Troops in Mindanao on red alert

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - Government security forces in southern Philippines have gone on red alert in preparation for the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) on Thursday, a military official said today.

Maj. Gen. Romeo Gapuz, commander of the Philippine Army's 6th Infantry Division, said that while there are no "specific threats, " the military went on red alert as a "precautionary measure."

"The signing of the CAB is a national event, which will be witnessed by the international community. It is just but normal for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to go on red alert," said Gapuz.

He said the alert level of the military has been raised to red on Monday and that the status will be in force for a week.

Gapuz said the AFP is particularly wary of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), a breakaway faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) led by former MILF Commander Ameril Umbra Kato.

The rogue group has been responsible for numerous attacks against the military and civilians in central Mindanao in recent years.

The Philippine government said the signing of the CAB with the 11,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) "is the country 's contribution to the pursuit of peace in the immediate neighborhood, the Southeast Asian region, and the rest of the world."

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is among the foreign dignitaries who will witness the historic signing of the five-page CAB in Malacanang, the presidential palace, on March 27.

Over 1,000 people, including 500 MILF members led by their chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, are expected to attend the historic signing ceremony.