TRANSFER. A Philippine Navy ship transports the Army's 47th Infantry Battalion's troops, equipment, vehicles and logistics to Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental on Monday (March 20, 2023). This was after the battalion transferred its headquarters from Bohol to Negros Island. (Photo courtesy of Joint Task Force Negros)
DUMAGUETE CITY – The transfer of the Philippine Army’s 47th Infantry Battalion (47IB) to Negros Island will not leave a vacuum in the government’s internal security operations (ISO) in Bohol province, a key Army official assured on Tuesday.
Brig. Gen. Leonardo Peña, commander of the 302nd Infantry Brigade based in Tanjay City, Negros Oriental, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in an interview that a Task Group Bohol has been created to ensure that the Communist Party of the Philippines-News People’s Army (CPP-NPA) there could no longer recoup.
Bohol is part of the 302nd IBde’s area of operations.
“Despite the Bohol party committee being dismantled already, with only less than 10 armed NPA rebels left, we cannot let our guard down because as I have previously pointed out, for every one of them, there would be at least 10 supporters,” Peña said in mixed English and Filipino.
He reassured the public that they will not leave Bohol because there is still an integrated territorial defense system there that requires their presence.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has organized Task Group Bohol, headed by Maj. Jason Torino as overall commander, and is composed of the 47IB’s Delta Company leading the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) Active Auxiliaries (CAAs) and the 21st Special Forces company, Peña said.
The 47IB, meanwhile, arrived on board a Philippine Navy ship at the Dumaguete City port on Monday to form part of the Special Joint Task Force (JTF) Negros.
The battalion will be headquartered at the boundaries of Kabankalan, Negros Occidental and Mabinay, Negros Oriental, JTF Negros spokesperson Maj. Gen. Cenon Pancito III said.
“Actually, the 47IB already has an existing presence in Negros Oriental since last year when some of its troops were deployed in the south of the province before the elections,” Pancito noted.
The battalion’s transfer here is in line with the creation of the JTF Negros which was created pursuant to the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to curb lawlessness, violence and criminality.
The JTF’s main task is to hunt down the rest of the suspects in the March 4 massacre in Pamplona where nine people were shot dead, including Gov. Roel Degamo.
Five of the 10 suspects are now in the custody of government authorities while another one was killed in an encounter with pursuing troops, Pancito said. (PNA)
