MANILA, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines will deploy some 300 erring policemen to Basilan, an impoverished island province which is home to the country's most violent Islamic militants, for punishment, a senior military officer said Sunday.
Gen. Eduardo Ano, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said the policemen will guard town centers in the remote province where kidnappings and bombings happen regularly.
"They (the policemen) will beef up the (military forces) in priority areas. Their main job is to take care of the town centers, urban centers so that the (military troops) can concentrate on the hinterlands," Ano told reporters in Baguio City.
Philippine national police chief Ronald dela Rosa said that the policemen will be flown to Basilan by the military's C-130 Hercules plane.
The deployment of the policemen on Baislan island was directed by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte himself.
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