CALL TO NEW SOLDIERS. Maj. Gen. Pio Diñoso III, commander of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division based in Samar. Diñoso on Tuesday (Aug. 4, 2020) asked its 151 new soldiers to actively take part in wiping out the decades-old insurgency in the region by 2022. (Photo courtesy of Philippine Army)
TACLOBAN CITY – The Philippine Army in Eastern Visayas has asked its 151 new soldiers to actively take part in wiping out the decades-old insurgency in the region by 2022.
During the closing ceremony in Catbalogan City, Samar on Tuesday, Maj. Gen. Pio Diñoso III, commander of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division said the new batch of soldiers is lucky to see the dwindling force of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the region.
“You became soldiers at the time when we are about to finish the internal security concern. Be proud that you are part of the division that will wipe out insurgency in Eastern Visayas. You still have the chance to see the enemy eye to eye and convince them to surrender,” Diñoso told the new soldiers comprising batch 633-2020.
The ceremony, attended by key Army officers and local government officials, was aired live through online platforms for families and friends who were not able to come due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) health crisis.
The candidate soldier course began on February 7 and was supposed to end in four months but was extended due to movement restrictions.
Of the 190 who started the rigid training, 151 or 80 percent completed the course.
The new soldiers also received firearms as a rite of passage accorded to new soldiers who completed "rigorous and regimental training" before their deployment.
The Philippine Army is optimistic to make the region insurgency-free by 2022 after a series of successful operations that dismantled two NPA guerrilla fronts in Leyte.
Still ongoing is the dismantling of two guerrilla fronts operating in San Jose de Buan, Matuguinao, Motiong, Paranas, Basey, Marabut, and Sta. Rita in Samar.
The NPA, which has been waging a five-decade armed struggle against the government, is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA)
