BPATs, CVOs, MNLFs join hands to conquer Abu lairs in Basilan

From the Philippine Information Agency (Aug 25): BPATs, CVOs, MNLFs join hands to conquer Abu lairs in Basilan

The success of the government forces in overrunning Abu Sayyaf lairs in the hinterlands of Basilan recently is attributed to the support and expertise of local peace action teams, civilian volunteers, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the local populace.

1LT Ron Villarosa, Public Affairs Officer, 4TH Special Force (SF) Battalion said that utilizing the elite 12-man team to conduct mass base operations and harness popular support, the operators effectively earned the trust of the masses to support military operations.

The Barangay Peace Action Teams (BPATs) and members of the Civilian Volunteer Organization (CVO) from the municipalities of Albarka, Akbar, Tuburan, Maluso, Lantawan and Hadji Mutamad (Pilas) totaled to some 150 personnel. As the joint team pledged allegiance to the government’s Special Forces, the 12-man unit effectively turned into a formidable force.

“Leading the local militias to secure vital supply lines and deny the enemy use of communities as safe havens, the Airborne Troopers waged an unseen warfare that delisted the enemy of the mass base support system they once enjoyed. Utilizing the locals’ complete mastery of the terrain and familiarity of the enemy’s tactics, the BPATs/CVOs led by the Special Forces were able to seize and secure hill 497 – a gateway to the ASG’s defensive complex stretching from the municipalities of Albarka, Tipo-Tipo and Ungkaya Pukan – just within days of the offensive,” Villarosa narrated.

He said that this was the first outpost captured from the enemy since the start of the relentless operation.

Next to fall was the Hill 332 at Brgy Bohe Piang, Albarka which gave the operating troops a window to the infamous Baguindan complex of hilltops where the enemy outposts and defensive positions are strategically constructed. Several face-to-face dialogues likewise were conducted to dissuade the local populace from providing support to the ASGs. Within a week after the unit was deployed, reports on the ASG’s diminishing supplies surfaced as communities refute the enemy of resources and rally their support to the government troops.

LTC Andrew B. Bacala Jr, commanding officer of the 4TH Special Forces Battalion, noted the operation as a “liberation” for the populace of Baguindan , Tipo-Tipo and Bohe Piang of Al-Barka. Since last month, Special Forces have infiltrated strategic communities in the area, extending into three municipalities.

Villarosa revealed that in return for the MNLF’s alliance, the 4th Special Forces Battalion facilitated the enrollment of 263 MNLF dependents under the unit’s “Education4Life” project.

Under the program, qualified MNLF dependents are given full scholarship in accordance with the partnership that was formalized in a MOA signing between the 4TH Special Forces Battalion, Furigay Colleges Incorporated (FCI) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). Such focused civil-military operation (CMO) projects enable the unit to harness the LGUs, civilians and the MNLFs for the conduct of an Integrated Territorial Defense System (ITDS), bringing a popular uprising against the Abu Sayyafs.

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/1421472030226/bpats-cvos-mnlfs-join-hands-to-conquer-abu-lairs-in-basilan