RECOVERIES. The 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) of the Philippine Army (PA) recovers assorted firearms during a series of encounters against rebel groups in September this year. Lt Col. J-Jay Javines, chief of the Division Public Affairs Office (DPAO) of the 3ID, said they now feel the support not only of local government units and government agencies but also the community. (PNA photo courtesy of 3DPAO)
ILOILO CITY – Quality information provided by people on the ground was a big factor in the successful anti-insurgency campaign launched by the Philippine Army in Western Visayas.
Lt. Col. J-Jay Javines, chief of the Division Public Affairs Office (DPAO) of the Philippine Army's 3rd Infantry Division (3ID), said they now receive more support not only from local government units and government agencies but also the community.
“Lately, there was an influx of information coming from residents, which is why we can easily locate them (rebels). Before, we found it hard to locate them because they have many eyes and ears; even if our soldiers are kilometers away, they would already know,” he said.
The information provided to their troops is specific, including the exact location of the insurgents, he added.
“The preponderance of the information we are receiving indicates that people are already supporting us, they don’t want the presence of armed groups in their area. That is why we have a lot of encounters because of the quality of information we are getting from the populace themselves,” Javines said.
In September alone, various operating units under the 3ID neutralized 30 members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) and recovered 33 assorted firearms.
In Western Visayas, 10 rebels were killed in encounters and 12 surrendered, while 26 assorted firearms were recovered.
The rest of the accomplishments were from operations conducted by 3ID units in Central Visayas.
Javines said the challenge is now at the southern front covering areas in the towns of Leon and Tubungan, along the boundary of Antique and Iloilo, and in the central front covering Janiuay town in Iloilo, Tapaz in Capiz, and also in the boundary of Antique.
Nonetheless, he is optimistic about dismantling guerrilla fronts by the end of the year.
“Our mandate was supposedly to end insurgency by Sept. 30, meaning we can declare already dismantled all guerrilla fronts in our area operation. But then we are given until the end of this year to dismantle guerrilla fronts,” he said. (PNA)
