WELCOME BACK. After almost three years of deployment in Mindanao, the 11th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army returns to Negros Oriental on Monday (June 10, 2019). The battalion has been instrumental in fighting insurgency, especially in the province's 1st district during its previous stint in Negros Oriental. (PNA photo by Judy Flores Partlow)
DUMAGUETE CITY -- After almost three years of being away from Negros Oriental, the 11th Infantry “Lapu-Lapu” Battalion (11IB) of the Philippine Army has finally returned to this Central Visayas province to help government efforts in addressing the insurgency problem posed by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).
Lt. Col. Carlo Ferrer, battalion commander of the 11IB, led the estimated 500-strong troops on Monday during arrival ceremonies held at the Port of Dumaguete City, where government officials, led by Gov. Roel Degamo, welcomed them.
The returning troops arrived on board the Philippine Navy ship BRP Tarlac.
The soldiers are back on orders of President Rodrigo Duterte to beef up the military force in Negros after staying in Mindanao for two years and nine months, Ferrer said in a media interview.
It was not immediately known which area of operations they will be assigned to but "we are prepared to be assigned anywhere as we are soldiers,” Ferrer said.
The battalion will proceed first to Camp Leon Kilat in Tanjay City while the troops are being oriented on their assignments.
The majority of the returning soldiers of the 11IB have already been deployed here previously and about half of the battalion have their families in Negros, Ferrer added.
He said that their standing order is to help "eradicate the insurgency in Negros Oriental", although there is no timeline because it all depends on the military’s assessment of the CPP-NPA.
The arrival of the 11IB to Negros Oriental brings to five the number of Philippine Army battalions on Negros Island to hasten the end to the insurgency and to help in the development of the affected areas, he said.
Two of the battalions, the 94IB and the 11IB, are currently in Negros Oriental,
Meanwhile, Gov. Roel Degamo, upon receiving the 11IB, reassured the troops of the full support of the provincial government as he also expressed optimism that with their return, the insurgency problem in Negros Oriental will be significantly addressed.
Degamo said the Capitol would be providing soldiers living quarters.
He appealed to civil society to help the Philippine Army to achieve lasting peace because the latter cannot do this alone.
Also, taking up arms is not the only solution to the insurgency, as there are other non-combat ways to address the problem, he added.
Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Dinoh Dolina, the commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, the original mother unit of the 11IB, commended the battalion for a job well done in Zamboanga even as he challenged the troops that there is still a lot to be done because the CPP-NPA is still an “inconvenience and a hindrance” to the people and the island even though their numbers have already diminished.
Another ranking Army official, Brig. Gen. Ignacio Madriaga, commander of the 303rd Brigade, said that the CPP-NPA is no longer “a force to reckon with” because their number is no longer “significant but they can still do terroristic atrocities” such as liquidation of innocent civilians.
For his part, Police Col. Raul M. Tacaca said the police in Negros Oriental are happy because they now have more allies to help them in their fight against insurgency and criminality.
The military and police officials expressed hope that with the participation of the local government units and the people, the common desire to win a lasting peace in Negros Oriental can be achieved in due time. (PNA)
