MURCIA - The planned transfer of three Army battalions, composed of about 1,500 men, from the Armed Forces Southern Command in Mindanao to the Central Command in Visayas, may no longer be possible.

This is because of reports that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front has started to re-organize and conduct training among its members, Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Teodosio, CENCOM chief, said yesterday.

The three infantry battalions of the 3rd Infantry Division headed by Maj. Gen. Alphonsus Crucero that were dispatched to Mindanao at the height of Muslim secessionist campaign in 2000, have been absorbed by the 6th Infantry Division in central Mindanao.

Military records show that almost 50 percent of the 115,000-strong Armed Forces are stationed in Mindanao. Teodosio said the return of some Army units to the Visayas will depend on the improvement of the peace and order situation in Mindanao.

At present, there are two Army infantry battalions deployed in Negros, compared to seven in the 1990s.*GPB

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