CATBALOGAN CITY, Samar — The Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division is upbeat on ending insurgency in Samar and Leyte provinces by 2022 after the national government identified the region as one of the priority areas in its drive to wipe out the New People’s Army (NPA).
Major General Pio Diñoso III, commander of the 8th Infantry Division said as one of the “national priority areas” in crushing the NPA, they will be given the “best” both in personnel and in assets.
“The President said that Samar (Island) is one of the priority areas meaning we have the support. They will bring in all the best-officials, armor assets, and air assets,” Diñoso, who assumed the post on July 5, told reporters in an interview Monday.
“There is a marching order that before the President steps down, we can at least contain, not necessarily totally eliminate, the insurgency problem to a manageable level and it’s doable,” he said.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier issued Executive Order 70, which calls for a “whole of nation” approach in ending the insurgency problem of the country.
Samar Island comprises the provinces – Samar, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar where the presence of the rebel NPA members is still felt due to poor road networks and thick forest cover.
Diñoso said that as part of their anti-NPA campaign, they’re lobbying for the return of two battalions of their division to the region from Mindanao. These are the 19th Infantry Battalion (IB) and the 34th IB, now based in Arakan and Midsayap in North Cotabato, respectively.
The army official also expects Samar Island to receive at least two choppers out of the 32 choppers to be procured by the central government.
The general said having an air asset, it would be easy for them to track down the rebels hiding or operating in the mountains.
Currently, the army division has two choppers under its Tactical Operations Group.
Diñoso asked all local government leaders to support the campaign against rebellion.
“Executive Order 70 is an order issued by the Chief Executive so supporting the order is not an option but mandatory. So the mayors have to follow the President and non-compliance will be dealt with by the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government),” he said.
“And so far, there are no leaders from the region who appear not to support the order,” he added.
Meanwhile, Diñoso said that as they strengthen their fight against members of the rebel group, they are conscious of protecting and respecting human rights of the civilians directly affected in the campaign.
He noted for the past five years now, there are no complaints of human rights violations against soldiers, an indication that they value and respect the civilians’ rights.
“In the entire Philippine Army, for the past three to five years, no case of human rights violation has been reported. In our campaign, we respect human rights and we know we will not win in our campaign if we will not respect human rights (of civilians),” Diñoso said. (PNA)
