There is a new man at the helm of the Philippine Army’ 56th
Infantry (Tatag) Battalion.
He is Lt. Colonel Joey Escanillas who is advancing the
military’s mission mantra Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) codenamed
“Bayanihan.”
To win the peace is to win the hearts and minds of local
folks in its territorial jurisdiction covering the provinces of Aurora and
Quirino, the towns of Bongabon in Nueva Ecija and Dinapigue in Isabela and
portions of Alfonso Castaneda in Nueva Vizcaya.
Winning the peace in the 56th IB’s area of responsibility is
an ardous task.
For one, the areas represent varied cultures and
geographical make-up covering 17 municipalities composed of 320 barangays and
inhabited by almost half a million people – 450,274 to be exact.
Dinapigue is a first class municipality while Bongabon and
Alfonso Castaneda are second and fourth class towns, respectively.
When Escanillas assumed his post on June 1,2014, the 56th IB
was in limbo.
The battalion has just been placed under non-operational
status and its men were dispatched to the Army’s 7th Infantry Division
headquarters in Fort Magsaysay , Palayan
City
Upon assumption, he immediately buckled down to work.
He supervised the implementation of the IPSP, an operational
road map of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
The IPSP’s utmost goal is to win the peace, instead of just
defeating the enemy in military combat.
To win peace, it should involve the cooperation of various
sectors and stakeholders such as local government units (LGUs), the community,
non-government organizations and the citizenry at- large.
Six months after assuming his post, Escanillas led his troops
in returning to the barracks, to its original base in Barangay Calabuanan in
Baler, Aurora
Shortly after, bayanihan teams were deployed in Aurora,
Quirino and Alfonso Castańeda, Nueva Vizcaya.
Before actual deployment, Escanillas touched base with the
LGUs and forged the signing of memoranda of understanding (MOUs) plus send-off
ceremonies to the troops.
“These ceremonies aim to make each stakeholder entity to be
cognizant of their respective roles and responsibilities in the attainment of
peace and progress in their areas,” he said.
Among the areas where the MOUs have been signed were in
Alfonso Castaneda in Nueva Vizcaya, Maria Aurora in Aurora and Maddela,
Quirino.
Escanillas demonstrated that he is a hands-on manager
overseeing the operations of his troops.
He personally involved himself in the deployment by
orienting every team on IPSP, the significance of their deployment and gave
emphasis on respect for and adherence to human rights, advocacy of the
International Humanitarian Law and the rule of law as well as soldier
discipline for which the Army is known for.
Escanillas understands the vital and indispensable role of
coordination in forging peace and unity in the battalion’s AOR.
Armed with this belief, he lost no time paying courtesy
calls to Governors Gerardo A. Noveras of Aurora
Being the chief executives of their respective localities,
he explained that these political leaders have the grasp of the situation on
the ground, including the peace and order situation and the attendant threats
to its preservation and upkeep.
“In a sense, they are ground commanders who have a pulse of
the situation since they are the heads of their respective peace and order
councils.
Besides, they carry with them overwhelming mandates and
thus, are popular with the masses,” he said.
Escanillas raised the bar of performance of the battalion by
actively engaging soldiers in essaying non-traditional roles in partnership
with the LGUs in various operational fronts of civil-military operations such
as – but not limited to - disaster relief and rescue operations, anti-illegal
logging operations and environmental protection, the “Balik-loob” programs,
community development activities and school activities.
He stressed that with these activities, winning the peace
and progress is not an impossible dream.
Significantly, the battalion’s combat operations, backed up
by a no-nonsense intelligence build-up, led to the recovery of four rounds of
M-203 ammunitions, seven empty shells of M-203, 10 rounds of M-60 ammo, 23
empty shells of M-60, three rounds of M-16 ammo, 23 empty shells of M-16,
improvised explosive device (IED) and one backpack containing medical supplies,
medicines, subversive documents and food supplies during an encounter at
Barangay Galintuja, Maria Aurora on November 12, 2014.
“Winning the peace is everybody’s concern. It’s not an issue
of you and me alone but everybody,” he said.
“At the end of the day, peace is defined as not just the
absence of war and conflict.
But an environment where there is rule of law, a climate of
harmony, cooperation and camaraderie and the steadfast faith that we are all
brothers – irregardless of our color, religion and beliefs – standing
side-by-side in service to the nation,” he added.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=733042
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