Army troops gird for war on climate change

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 15): Army troops gird for war on climate change

FORT MAGSAYSAY, PALAYAN CITY, Nueva Ecija (PNA) -- The country’s biggest army training camp is girding for a more formidable enemy which some call the “mother of all wars,” -- climate change. Brig. Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr., commander of the 7th Infantry (“Kaugnay”) Division, said the army’s new approach is combating the more deadly enemy, the climate change, wherein the collateral damage of which was most evident in the devastation caused by typhoons and floods that claimed over 10,000 lives in Mindanao last year and in Luzon a couple of years ago.

Drawing parallel from the recent fatalities and the 30,000 deaths that resulted in the war waged against insurgency problem, Catapang said the latter figure could even be surpassed unless the country delved more seriously on combating the impact of climate change. The new role for the Army takes on a new light, considering the responsibility for fighting the New People’s Army in areas declared insurgency-free has been turned over to the respective peace and order councils in Central Luzon and the Ilocos.

Noting the “role of the soldier as the protector of the people,” Catapang said, “then it is appropriate to engage them in helping the people against the impact of climate change.” He also said the soldiers during “peace-time” would be a big asset in their new role as their services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In this connection, Catapang challenged the leadership of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, the Communist Party of the Philippines, and the NPA to join hands with the military in combating climate change, which to him poses a grave concern to mankind and their “common enemy.” How may the military and the NPA serve a common front in this present day problem? Simply by joining together in saving lives, building disaster-proof schools that can be converted to evacuation centers, and conduct joint activities to help the victims of this deadlier war, he added.

Catapang said the 7ID’s Disaster Response unit and Disaster Response teams has been mobilized during the onslaught of typhoon “Helen” and southwest monsoon in August last year and during the devastation wrought by typhoon Pablo” in Mindanao on Dec 3, last year wherein 793 army personnel, 60 military trucks and 13 rescue units extended relief assistance to 67,464 families or 337,320 individuals as well as rescue transportation assistance.

The 7ID’s organic units that provided assistance relief and rescue operations in the Mindanao area were comprised of one brigade and three infantry units - 701 Infantry Brigade, 69th Infantry 71st Infantry Brigade, and 84th Infantry Brigade. They were placed under operational control of the 10th Infantry Division, and are currently involved in disaster, rescue and relief operations in the Davao Region.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=487537