Op/Ed: New Era of Soldiery

Op/Ed piece posted to MindaNews (Nov 24): WAYWARD AND FANCIFUL: New Era of Soldiery

On 1 January 2011, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) adopted the Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) that seeks to transform the role of the Filipino soldiers in anticipation of a post-conflict scenario that would not require much demand on the exercise of their warfighting capability. The IPSP emphasizes the importance of military operations other than war (MOOTW) to be employed in enhancing the security of local communities. Colonel Ricardo Jalad, commander of the 2^nd Mechanized Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army, talks about the changing role of soldiers in the environmental security of communities within his unit’s area of responsibility. The 2^nd Mechanized Brigade covers Iligan City and Lanao del Norte. This interview took place on July 25, 2012 at the brigade headquarters in Maria Christina, Iligan City. Jalad said that while soldiers would always be in a state of readiness for combat operations, the IPSP now requires it to use the non-combat approach to address security concerns. These military operations other than war (MOOTW) take off from the notion that security would be addressed by all stakeholders involved, anchored on the concepts of human security and the whole-of-nation, people-centered approach. Human security encompasses the issue of environmental security. In the case of disaster and such events, AFP units on the ground are mandated to assist the response of other agencies, especially the local government units. For the 2^nd Mechanized Infantry Brigade, the devastation wrought by Typhoon Sendong last year became the test of its operation based on the IPSP framework. It became very much involved from the rescue phase, to the search for dead bodies, and on up to the rehabilitation phase when it took part in putting up temporary shelters and relocation houses. As disaster response, the brigade assisted in delivering relief goods to various areas affected by the flood. Later, in cooperation with the Lanao del Norte LGU, the 2MEB was able to construct two buildings, with a total of 23 units. Typhoon Sendong was the first climate-related disaster on that scale to hit Iligan City and Lanao del Norte in years. In the previous year, however, the soldiers were already actively involved in the efforts of the LGUs to constitute and operate their respective Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (DRRMC). Sendong would put their preparations to the test. The DRRMC spells out the inter-agency convergence required in response to disasters..... In Iligan City which used to be disaster-free, people would usually see soldiers when they were out for combat operations. Not surprisingly, the warfighter image of the soldier was the image that superimposed itself in the memory of civilians. It was an indelible image that had shaped their perception of the Filipino soldier. However, when Typhoon Sendong happened, this was an opportunity for the soldier to take on the role of the rescuer, the savior. It happened at a time when the troops have had education on the imperatives of the IPSP. Thus, Jalad sees that the performance of his men during Sendong was partly an application already of the IPSP. It was a performance that was well-received by a grateful community.

(Wayward and Fanciful is Gail Ilagan’s column for MindaViews, the opinion section of MindaNews. Ilagan teaches Social Justice, Family Sociology, Theories of Socialization and Psychology at the Ateneo de Davao University.)

http://www.mindanews.com/mindaviews/2012/11/24/wayward-and-fanciful-new-era-of-soldiery/