North Cotabato solon proposes Mechanized Agri Battalion to win war vs. rebellion

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 2): North Cotabato solon proposes Mechanized Agri Battalion to win war vs. rebellion

A member of North Cotabato's provincial board has urged the defense and agriculture departments to establish a Mechanized Agriculture Battalion (MAB) in support of President Duterte's thrust to attain peace and food sufficiency.

North Cotabato 3rd District Board Member Socrates Pinol said under his proposed MAB, the military will be deployed to rebel infested areas to help farmers harvest their crops using rice harvesters, corn sheller, mobile grain harvesters and other state of the art agriculture equipment.
Pinol stressed that the government should set an unconventional warfare by using mechanized farm equipment instead of mechanized battalion using artillery and canons.

“Let’s bring the war against the rebels in an uncommon ground because the real battle fields are in the hearts of the people specifically in rebel stronghold communities wherein the rebels have very strong mass support,” he explained.

“What if instead of bringing tanks, they will just bring farm machinery wherein farmers can avail of it for free or at a very low cost then bring the harvest of the farmers to the market using military trucks?” Pinol said.

He stressed that it will be cheaper and very effective approach if farm machinery will be fielded in this areas than tanks and canons.

“Tanks are very expensive and disastrous while rice harvesters are cheap and very effective approach in swaying public sympathy,” he explained.

Pinol said a tank can exterminate a whole community of rebel supporters but it can never extinguish people’s disgust against the government.

Anger, Pinol said, can never be doused off but hostility will sprout again and be carried out by the next generation.

“The reason poor people sympathized with the rebels is because the rebels were able to emphasize government’s neglect. Rebellion is born out of peoples’ disgust. The battle cry of the rebels becomes legitimate as they capitalize in government’s long time neglect," he said.

“If our soldiers will be the channel of change and progress for these farmers in rebel infested areas, the negative impression will slowly change,” he said.

“Win peoples support in rebel infested areas by addressing government neglect, help farmers become productive,” he stressed.

When his proposal is realized, Pinol said the war against the rebels will be won without firing a single shot.

The provincial board member is the younger brother of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Pinol.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=968511