Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Cirilito Sobejana presided over his final command conference on Wednesday (July 7), and gave his guidance to the military moving forward.
“The AFP gained substantial accomplishments for the past months. Despite this, we must endeavour to continue our momentum to achieve more meaningful milestones,” Sobejana said.
“The remaining months this year shall be our final push to decisively defeat the local terrorist and communist terrorist groups,” he added, stressing the need for the AFP to shift its focus and efforts to external defense.
The command conference, attended by top defense officials including Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and senior military officers, opened with a “Salute to the Fallen” in honor of soldiers who died in the line of duty this year.
Sobejana also called for a moment of silence and prayer for those killed in and survivors of the recent C-130 mishap.
Meanwhile, AFP ground units reported a total of 213 AFP-led military operations against communist terrorist groups (CTG) during the first semester.
This resulted in the neutralization of 80 high-value individuals as well as four finance officers of the CTG in the months of May and June alone.
A total of 372 CTG members were also neutralized, of whom 42 were killed, 53 were apprehended or captured, and 277 surrendered. Some 728 supporters have also withdrawn their support.
In addition, 730 assorted firearms and 140 anti-personnel mines were also seized.
For this, the AFP conferred ground units with the Battle Streamer in recognition of their role in destroying regional CTG units in their respective areas of responsibility.
The Battle Streamer is awarded to infantry brigades, battalions, and their equivalents in the Navy and Air Force that were directly involved in all efforts to clear focus areas and engage the armed components of the CTG that eventually led to the total disruption of these armed groups and decimation of guerilla fronts.
The awardees and their accomplishments:
The 801st Infantry Brigade and 63rd Infantry Battalion, for the dismantling of a notorious CTG unit in the Visayas. They were supported by the 8th Intelligence Service Unit, 8th Military Intelligence Battalion, Military Intelligence Group 8, 8th CMO Battalion, Naval Intelligence Service Group Central, and 3012th Air Intelligence Security Squadron.
The 402nd Brigade and 23rd Infantry Battalion, for dismantling a guerilla front in north-central Mindanao. They were supported by the 4th Military Intelligence Battalion (MIB), Tactical Operations Group (TOG) 10, and 42nd Division Reconnaissance Company.
The 701st Brigade and 66th Infantry Battalion (IB) for dismantling a guerilla front in southern Mindanao, supported by the 28IB, 67IB, 104th Division Reconnaissance Company, 2nd Field Artillery Battalion, 10th MIB, 11th Intelligence Service Unit, 10th CMO Battalion, and Tactical Operations Group.
On the other hand, AFP operations against local terrorist groups also yielded significant gains from May to June.
These include 114 Abu Sayyaf Group members, 124 Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, and 40 Dawlah Islamiyah members who were all either killed, captured, or have surrendered.
Lorenzana congratulated the AFP for its accomplishments and thanked the military for its support for the administration’s peace and development programs.
He also urged the AFP to further enhance organizational efficiency and operational excellence and called for improved readiness to perform multi-role functions, while ensuring the sustained physical and emotional well-being of personnel.
“Continue to exercise prudence and accountability in our resource programming,” Lorenzana added, emphasizing the need to implement financial and management best practices.
“The AFP has and will continue to play a vital role in protecting the interest of our country and our people. With this, let us continue to remain steadfast towards our unwavering commitment to our sworn duty, maintain our pursuit for excellence, and continuously endeavour [to deliver] quality service in all our undertakings,” Sobejana said. (AFP) – jlo
