Army battalion moves to NPA-infested Davao village

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 29): Army battalion moves to NPA-infested Davao village

The chief of the 69th Infantry Battalion confirmed on Thursday that their headquarters was already transferred to Paquibato district here. “Yes, we already transferred in Paquibato (as our new headquarters),” said Lt. Col. Inocencio Pasaporte, chief of the 69th Infantry Battalion. Pasaporte said the transfer from San Roque, Panabo City to Paquibato district was a good move of the Army hierarchy to protect civilians from the New People’s Army (NPA) especially from the group of Leonardo Pitao alias Kumander Parago, leader of the NPA's Pulang Bagani Command.

Last week, Lt. Col. Lyndon Paniza announced this development but failed to give the exact date of the transfer. “The 69th Infantry Battalion will not leave Paquibato. In fact, the unit has already identified a strategic area where its battalion headquarters will be transferred in due time,” Paniza was quoted as saying. He said the move was a result of a consensus among the Army leadership to pave way for more focused peace and security operations so that the implementation of their Peace and Development Outreach Program in partnership with the local government of Davao City and other stakeholders will prosper. Paniza explained that troops are not there to wage war but to assist the local government unit in its efforts to deliver basic services for the people that are often held back due to the danger posed by the NPA. “Our mandate is to secure the people. As long as there are rebels in the area who are raising threats to civilian communities, pressures or nuisance will not wane our efforts to protect the people to attain genuine peace in any of our AOR (area of responsibility),” he said. Paniza also clarified that soldiers have already left the convergence areas and relocated its temporary patrol bases away from the communities even before the passage of the city council resolution.

In its special session on November 9, the Sangguniang Panglunsod passed a resolution calling for the pullout of military detachments from civilian communities in the city and its outlying villages, aimed at reportedly preventing civilians from being caught in the crossfire between government troops and the NPA.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=475816