ZAMBOANGA CITY, 30 August 2007 — The chief of the Philippine Marines has been named as new commander of military forces in the troubled region of western Mindanao.
Maj. Gen. Nelson Allaga yesterday formally took over the Western Mindanao Command headquarters and replaced army Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, whose retirement after more than 33 years in the military service was capped with a series of costly battles for his troops chasing militants in two southern islands.
Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, the country’s military chief, presided over the ceremony held in Zamboanga City, gateway to the islands of Basilan and Jolo, where security forces are battling Abu Sayyaf militants whose group is tied to the Al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya.
“Nothing has change. We will continue with our operations against the terrorists,” Allaga, a decorated Marine commander who battled communist and Moro insurgencies in Mindanao, said.
Thousands of Marines have been moved out from Luzon since last year and deployed in the southern Philippines to fight the Abu Sayyaf and the communist New People’s Army (NPA).
“We are emphasizing the fleet marine concept of deployment in this area. You must have noticed that almost all the Marines are now in Zamboanga (Peninsula), Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi (provinces) and in the southern tip of Palawan in tandem with our naval forces exactly for the strategic task of securing our southern part of the archipelago,” Esperon said.
Cedo has been criticized for the high casualty count sustained by government troops in Basilan and Jolo in July and August.
On July 10, a convoy of Marines who were sent to check reported sightings of kidnapped Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi in Albarka town of Basilan were ambushed by separatist guerrillas.Of 14 soldiers killed, 10 were found decapitated.
Early this month, 27 army soldiers and Marines were killed in separate clashes with Abu Sayyaf and Moro National Liberation Front guerrillas in nearby Jolo Island.
On Aug. 11, Marines who were sent against suspects in the July 10 beheadings were themselves attacked by Abu Sayyaf rebels. Fifteen Marines were killed and a pilot died when an air force helicopter providing air support for the troops crashed at sea off Basilan.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has subsequently ordered the military to crush the Abu Sayyaf so the government can begin a massive development programs in the restive region.
“The national leadership has a specific vision for western Mindanao, one that is marked with true peace and sustainable progress and to realize this vision, the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) has been tasked to end armed rebellion to all levels and sources be it an insurgent, secessionist or terrorist or lawless elements.”
“I am confident that with the array of forces that you now have in this area, you will be more than equal to the task that is given to you. Indeed I expect no letup on the operations against the Abu Sayyaf and other lawless elements,” Esperon said.
Esperon also announced the creation of the National Development Command, a new unit in the AFP that would especially focus on the basic socio-economic development and infrastructure projects in conflict-affected areas.
“Through it, we hope to contribute in the convergence of efforts by the different line agencies of government in the repair and construction of schools, health centers, sources of potable water, roads and bridges and in the process rebuild lives that have been disrupted by terrorist activities and violence,” he said.
He said President Arroyo also ordered two battalions of army engineers to Basilan to finish the circumferential road project which has been stalled since the 1990s because of the insurgency problem. The road project is aimed at connecting seven towns on the island and was previously under the military’s Basilan Task Force.
In his speech yesterday, Esperon reminded troops that while carrying out their orders to defeat the NPA and Abu Sayyaf threats, they should uphold and protect human rights and assist police authorities and other government law enforcement agencies and bodies in investigating extra-judicial killings.
The Arroyo government has been hounded with charges of rising abductions and assassinations of political activists.
Esperon said the military should work closely with the Philippine National Police to carry out internal security operations and for the soldiers to support the peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, but warned that the AFP will punish those who would disrupt the government peace process in Mindanao.
“Very importantly, sustain the gains in the peace process, but we must punish the peace spoilers,” he said.
