MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine army failed to hit its target of defeating 28 Maoist rebel fronts in the first half of 2010 due to redeployment of troops after the massacre of 57 people in the southern Philippines last year, a military report showed on Monday.
   
"The redeployment of troops to Maguindanao late last year has significantly affected our operational tempo," said an assessment report by the military dated July 21, a copy of which was seen by Reuters.
   
"Triad efforts during the period resulted in the downgrading of two guerrilla fronts out of the first semester target of 28," the report said.
   
The Philippines, under the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, had planned to dismantle about 70 percent of the 108 rebel bases across the country by the end of June under a five-year plan set in 2005. It succeeded in downgrading only 53 bases over the period.
   
About 5,000 troops are currently deployed in the troubled Maguindanao province in southern Philippines, almost 10 months after the massacre of 57 people, including 33 journalists, helping enforce a state of emergency in three areas in the south.
   
Three battalions fighting communist rebels in northern Luzon and the central Visayas region had been sent to Maguindanao, army spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Benjamin Hao said on Monday, adding they were helping police hunt down dozens of armed men loyal to a powerful political clan linked to the murders.
   
Normally, the 6th Infantry Division has only eight infantry battalions and an armour unit. It has about 12 battalions, including two armour battalions and a special forces battalion.
   
The trial of a former mayor accused of masterminding the massacre will begin on Wednesday after delays of more than six months due to a number of reasons, including a move by the defence panel to disqualify the judge.
   
Nearly 200 people, including the patriarch of the powerful Ampatuan political clan, were facing 57 counts of murder over the massacre. Police has placed 57 people under custody, including the main suspect, his father, uncle and three brothers. The rest are still at large.
   
The clan had ruled Maguindanao, a province on the southern island of Mindanao, for nearly a decade. More than 1,000 weapons had been seized from the clan during raids on their property late last year.