by Rene V. Carbayas
ISABELA CITY, Basilan, June 6 (PIA) – Newly
installed 104th Brigade Commander Col. Arthur P. Ang in Basilan
committed to institute security sector reform under his command hoping to
elevate the military as the source of national pride.
Speaking before the media during the turnover
of command recently in Basilan, Ang said that he has plans to first teach the
soldiers disaster preparedness and emergency-rescue operations. “Dapat ang
kasundaluan ay ready na mag rescue and magbigay ng first aid sa mga
nangangailangan ng tulong,” he said.
Ang reveals that he will banner the training
of soldiers in Disaster Relief Operations as one important aspect of the
program.
Commensurate to this, he said, is the
promotion of human rights. “Since the soldiers are deployed in the communities,
it is an opportunity already for our soldiers to be able to promote and teach
people in the barangays about human rights,” he said.
The new army chief said that the barangay
machinery is an opportunity for the military to tell people that the armed
forces are the number one advocate of human rights.
Ang said he will first validate the
capabilities of soldiers on human rights then intensive training will be done
to capacitate the soldiers, and that this will be done in coordination with
human rights commission.
When asked on how he would deal with rido (family feuds), Ang said that it is
a police matter, pointing out, however that the military will support the PNP
on law enforcement. “Back-up lang kami, primarily it’s the police work,” he
said.
Ang also declared that all programs and
activities of the military in Basilan is anchored on the peace talks, saying “we
will not do anything that will jeopardize the on-going peace talks….but we will
apply commensurate force if some groups would threaten the peace and security
of the community.”
Ang also dismissed the perception that most
high-ranking military officials are assigned in Basilan for promotion, which
leaves a bad impression from the public that war will be ensued in this
conflict-prone province. “Promotion is not about bakbakan (battles), our mission is winning the peace, not based on
body count…as long as peaceful ang lugar and has freedom of movement, cultural
activities are undertaken,” he explained.
“We are committed to support development
projects here,” he said as he cited the infrastructure projects in Basilan,
like the concreting of the circumferential road, which he finds important to
usher in development in the province. “Without them, it will take us a long
time to attain the much needed development.”
In maintaining security in the island, Ang
said the military will also do “focus operation”, where commensurate force will
be applied whenever there are threat groups “who will come in between us from
attainting peace and development.”
Moreover, Ang disclosed that the security
sector reform to upgrade soldiers’ capabilities and acquire modern equipment is
part of the national army transformation program, which has a vision that by
year 2028, “we will have an army that is world class and source of national
pride”.
A major component of the said program is the
acquisition of modern weaponry and equipment comparable with other modern armed
forces [in the world]. “And it takes time and needs money to procure such
equipment,” he said.
“At my level here, at tactical level of the
brigade we cannot contribute much in acquiring these equipment at our level,
however, as the Brigade Commander we can do many things by modernizing our
thinking and attitude by making us professional soldiers through the conduct of
in-house training, where we will instill discipline and good attitude. That is
the best thing that we can contribute to security reform of the Armed Forces of
the Philippines, which will not cost us so much money,” he said.
Ang further underscored that all of these plans will
not be possible without the support of the friends of 104th Brigade,
the different stakeholders in Basilan. “That is why I am pleading to you to
support me as the 104th Brigade Commander. Help and assist me in
achieving my mission here of winning the peace in the Province of Basilan.”
(RVC/PIA9-ZBST)