Army soldiers deployed as augmentation force during polls back to mother units

From the Philippine News Agency (Oct 31): Army soldiers deployed as augmentation force during polls back to mother units

Members of the 80th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army that served as augmentation force of the Army and the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Masbate during the barangay elections have been flown back to Camp Aguinaldo Friday via a C-130 cargo plane.

The soldiers were part of the 3,500-man contingent deployed by the military in the strategic areas in Bicol during the elections, the conduct of which was generally peaceful, according to Brig. Gen. Felix J. Castro Jr., 9th Infantry Division assistant unit commander and Task Force Bicol commander Camp Elias Angeles, San Jose, Pili, Camarines Sur.

Castro said the soldiers were distributed among the three brigades of the 9ID in the six provinces of the region.

The Philippine Army soldiers were the partners of the police officers in manning checkpoints put up in important areas in the region.

The deployed Army soldiers have already returned to their respective units after the Commission on Elections had declared the winners in the elections, Castro added.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=581881