Army Col. Camba thanks critical Bohol tour

From the Philippine Information Agency (Aug 28): Army Col. Camba thanks critical Bohol tour

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol — With a heavy heart, the Philippine Army’s 2nd Special Forces Battalion commander Col. Potenciano Camba bows out and passes the command flag to his successor, but not after openly sharing memories of innovation and friendship in Bohol.

In what is possibly his last appearance at the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) meeting August 27 at the Reynas Garden, Col. Camba declared: “The best thing that ever happened to me is being assigned in Bohol.”

As is customary at the PPOC, commanders render the peace and order and internal security operations reports, and for Col. Camba whol will be off Bohol for another assignment, this could be his last meeting with his Boholano colleagues and partners in keeping peace and order.

For Camba who came in from full active soldier duty, Bohol was initially a tough assignment as he was then to lead soldiers, not armed with rifles and side guns but saw, hammer, shovel and paintbrush.

But keeping up with the soft arm of the armed forces in fortifying internal defenses by recruiting communities to confidently say no to insurgency, the new lieutenant colonel soon found his pace and adopted to the innovative Countryside Development Program Purok Power Movement.

The nationally-adopted anti-insurgency template known as “The Bohol Experience” now focuses on the CDP-PPM as that which continuously helps putting up more government presence, thus making basic services for the people available, livelihood funding and other anti-poverty measures.

Here, the army’s civic military operations are now widely participated in by the civil society, has proven to be most effective strategy to drive insurgents to flee Bohol and abandon their cause.

“It has been a learning experience tour of duty,” Col. Camba told members of the PPOC.

Clearly not wanting to let go of the colonel’s good leadership, Governor Edgar Chatto, PPOC Chairman, highlighted the civil government’s partnership with the police and army adding that Col. Camba "has given inspiration to co-workers in the sector of peace and order and in the uniformed service.”

In its last meeting, PPOC passed a resolution and appreciation commending Col. Camba’s role in keeping Bohol insurgency-free.

The commendation can never be more fitting and better illustrated when the Army internal security operators reported no enemy sightings and no movements of interest groups under their surveillance for August 2015.

A similar resolution, this time from Bohol Sangguniang Panlalawigan, also extolled Camba’s defining role in keeping Bohol insurgent-free.

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/1101440730819/army-col-camba-thanks-critical-bohol-tour