Marines to defend priority areas once Bangsamoro Basic Law gets power

MANILA, Philippines—With an anticipated peace law expected to be signed, the Armed Forces of the Philippines would also transition its forces to face one big threat.

General Gregorio Pio Catapang, AFP Chief of Staff, said they would deploy Marines near the coasts once the Bangsamoro Basic Law between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front gets signed.

He added the Marines would be deployed on priority areas in the West Philippine Sea, Batanes, Palawan and Tawi Tawi to focus on internal operations.

Members of the Marines are in Ulugan Bay in Palawan to augment the Naval forces in the area, the hotbed of territorial dispute between the Philippines and China.

“Transition phases would be more on the West Philippine Sea and Batanes,” Catapang said.

Catapang hopes that the BBL would be signed in six months to a year as the Marines are still holding ground in Sulu, where members of the renegade Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters are still operating, and Zamboanga.

On Monday, Catapang said the AFP would pull out 1,000 to 1,500 men from the Marine contingent in Sulu and redeploy them to Zamboanga to meet the threat of members of a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front.

“If you visit Zamboanga, it appears that the people still have fears, I don’t want that,” Catapang said.

AFP’s top brass said the transition of the Marines from land combat to the coasts would still require the approval of the Department of National Defense.

Catapang expects the Marines to have a “smooth transition” from fighting insurgents in Mindanao to defending the home turf.

“Marines are used to amphibious missions, they can get the hang of it in time,” Catapang said.

RELATED STORIES

Gov’t, MILF to tackle Bangsamoro law in Malaysia

Bangsamoro’s economic prospects