Lt. Col. Julius Cesar Paulo, the new commander of the Army's 23rd Infantry Battalion, who replaced Lt. Col. Francisco L. Molina, Jr. (PNA photo by Alexander Lopez)
BUTUAN CITY – The newly-installed commander of the Army's 23rd Infantry Battalion based in Agusan del Norte vowed massive military operations against the remaining communist New People’s Army (NPA) combatants in the area.
In a statement Thursday (June 11), Lt. Col. Julius Cesar Paulo said the 23IB will "hit hard" communist guerillas "until they give up their arms and peacefully surrender to the government".
“It is one of the challenges given by Maj. Gen. (Andres) Centeno to me and the rest of our troopers. We will engage the remaining NPA rebels in our areas of responsibility (AORs) decisively,” Paulo said.
Centeno led the turnover ceremony that installed Paulo as chief of 23IB based in Barangay Alubihid, Buenavista, Agusan del Norte. Paulo replaced Lt. Col. Francisco L. Molina Jr., who led the 23IB for two years.
In his message during the turnover ceremony, Centeno said engaging the NPA rebels decisively means “strengthening our small units for intensified military operations to enhance our chances of having decisive engagement and to pursue the Communist Terrorist Groups (CTGs) by dismantling the remaining guerilla fronts and our intensified military operations expected to lead to the eventual clearing of the guerilla fronts in the focused areas”.
Paulo said that the 4ID chief also wants to "cut the recruitment and resource generation of the Communist Terrorist Groups (CTGs) in our AOR (area of responsibility)".
He added that he will continue the campaigns of the 23rd IB in schools, among the youth, and the indigenous peoples (IPs) in the area who are the usual targets for recruitment of the NPA.
The 23IB's jurisdiction covers parts of Agusan del Norte, including Butuan City, parts of Agusan del Sur, and the town of Magsaysay and the eastern portion of Gingoog City in Misamis Oriental.
Paulo also called on the peace and development stakeholders in the area to support the efforts of the 23IB to attain the goals of President Rodrigo Duterte to end the local communist armed conflicts.
He said winning the war against the NPA rebels requires teamwork and collaboration between the Army and the community stakeholders, including the government agencies and the private sector. (PNA)
