Preparations underway for new battalion in Panay

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 23): Preparations underway for new battalion in Panay

Preparations are underway for the creation of a new Army battalion to be based in Panay Island.
Maj. Gen. Jon Aying, commanding officer of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, said they are in the process of selecting non-commissioned officers, who would form the backbone of the planned battalion.

Officers to be selected will include sergeant major, sergeants, battalion staff down to platoon sergeants, squad leaders and fire team leaders.

“We are already trying to form this people. After the graduation of our candidate soldiers -- we now have 300 -- we will distribute them,” he said.

“That will be the flesh of the battalion and then we will get additional. We will align the soldiers in other battalions in order that the new battalion would not be occupied by new candidate soldiers. There will be balance in our various battalions and more or less they will have the same capabilities to perform both internal and external tasks to secure both internalities and externalities of our defense,” he added.

Undersecretary Eduardo Año of the Department of the Interior and Local Government previously announced the plan to activate a new battalion in Panay in 2018 to go after the New People’s Army.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1019737