ARMED Forces chief Lt. Gen. Bartolome Bacarro is open to deploying solders to help policemen in maintaining peace and order in areas frequented by people during the “ber months,” PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin said yesterday.
Azurin, in a press briefing at Camp Crame yesterday, said he spoke with Bacarro while they were on an official visit to Hawaii last week.
“I said ‘Sir, if we are going to be short of (PNP) personnel to be deploy to maintain peace and order, can you give us augmentation?” said Azurin.
“The chief of staff (of the AFP) agreed. (He said) ‘If you need it, you can request from the AFP,’” Azurin also said.
Azurin said soldiers have helped police in ensuring peace and order in the past, noting this was done when former senator Panfilo Lacson was PNP chief under the Estrada administration.
“We employed a buddy system. There’s a policeman, there is an Armed Forces (member),” said Azurin. “We can guide the (military) personnel joining us patrolling, with the presence of course of PNP officers.”
Azurin said soldiers might also be deployed next month for the observance of the All Saints Day and All Souls’ Day.
Azurin stressed a statement he made last month that there is a need to beef up police presence in key areas with the onset of the “ber” months (September, October, November, December) when increased human activity, including expenditure, is expected.
He said these areas are Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and the cities of Cebu, Davao and Baguio.
