ABOUT 10,000 soldiers were deployed in Cotabato City to secure the upcoming plebiscite of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) on January 21, with Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) identifying the “problematic areas” in Mindanao.

In a news conference on Tuesday, Lorenzana named Cotabato City, Isabela City in Basilan and six areas in Lanao del as “problematic” because of the “conflicting aspirations of their leaders.”