Bishop voices fears over troop movements in Metro

A senior Catholic bishop voiced concerns Friday about plans by the military to deploy troops and conduct patrols in Metro Manila ahead of the May 10 elections. Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez Jr. said this plan may be part of a looming worst-case election scenario. “This troop movement is ominous. This is scary. I fear that there planning something sinister," Iñiguez said in an article on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) news site. Iñiguez heads the CBCP's public affairs commission. The Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Metro Manila command earlier revealed the plan to position soldiers in streets and critical areas in the Metropolis. Metro Manila Command head Rear Admiral Feliciano Angue said they were also deploying at least two battalions of “peacekeeping troops" as part of intensified security operations for the polls. Among the areas in their list to be patrolled is Makati City, which the police have recommended placed under their control due to reported election-related violence. Armed Forces chief of staff Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit clarified that the planned movement of troops is in support to the security concerns raised by the police. Bangit and Angue are both members of the controversial Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class 1978, of which President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is an adopted member. — LBG, GMANews.TV