An article posted on a US Army website quoted a Philippine Army official as saying that the election period could see politicians being the target of improvised bombs.
The US Army Website identified the general as Philippine Army chief, Lt. General Noel Coballes who visited the US Army Pacific (USARPAC) forces in
The USARPAC website report said: “Coballes said every election cycle sees a spike in IED (improvised explosive devices) activity and this year will be no different.”
The PA chief was also quoted as saying, “We have a mandate to protect all Filipinos. We might see an increase in IED explosions — it could be targeting our own soldiers, but in my opinion they will be targeting politicians.”
But when sought for confirmation, Coballes said: “Wala akong sinasabing ganun.”
During the visit, Coballes learned the capabilities and reach of the Asia Pacific Counter IED Fusion Center (APCFC) following a brief and demonstration from the center’s director and staff.
The APCFC is the executive agent for U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) for all counter IED intelligence gathering and training. Its primary mission is to prepare US forces for overseas contingency operations.
The center has already trained more than 2,000 soldiers from 11 partner nations, including the
Col. Geoffrey Stevens, the director of the APCFC, briefed Coballes of the center’s capabilities.
The PA chief was taken on an observation lane where instructors showed him how the US Army trains its forces to look for indicators of potentials IED emplacements.
During the demonstration, the PA chief who walked right over an inert device planted in the road setting off buzzer, told members of the USARPAC: “We’ve been doing this, but not as detailed as you have here... We teach some of this in our schools, but not a center dedicated to IED awareness.”
http://www.mb.com.ph/article.php?aid=4142&sid=1&subid=2
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