Military officer says Army shifted action to supporting programs of government

BAYBAY CITY – The Philippine Army had already shifted their action to prevent or limit if not get rid of insurgency problem of the country by integrating to the people through supporting various programs of the government, especially those by local government units. Captain Ian Andres Fabellon, civil military officer of the 78th Infantry Battalion assigned in Burauen, Leyte said, that effort such as military combat which they had been doing for the past several years to address insurgency is not totally effective that is why, they had shifted into a more humane and acceptable way of anti-insurgency campaign by integrating with people and helping the government in the deliverance of the basic social needs of the people. The 78th IB under the 8th Infantry Division was formerly assigned in the province of Cebu, but recently they were re-assigned in the province of Leyte to help in ensuring peace and security in the southern part of Leyte Island. Among the activities they are doing is by going the weekly Icot-Caravan, a project of the provincial government of Leyte in which basic social and health services to include delivering agricultural assistance are brought the grassroots level. In this week, their battalion, according to Capt Fabellon, they had assisted the team from the provincial government of Leyte and the city government of Baybay on the 3-day Icot-caravan held in the city of Baybay. “We provided the entertainment by doing a musical show and render free haircut to the barangays we had visited,” said Fabellon. Through this program, Cpt. Fabellon said that they were able to reach-out with the civilian and the local government units and educate them that soldiers are their protector and not their oppressor. “Our mere presence could already tell them that they can approach us and tell us what are their problems in their locality which we can promise to help in facilitating it to inform the concerned government offices or their local government officials,” he added. Fabellon added that to ensure that people will not hesitate in approaching them, the military personnel under their unit were reminded and ordered to be always in proper grooming. “No one will approach us or even believe us if we look untidy, so we make sure that our personnel will always look presentable when they are in public, when they are mingling with the people,” he added. He added that once the problem of insurgency in the province of Leyte and Southern Leyte is already addressed they are hoping that just like the province of Cebu which is now considered as one of the top province in the country, Leyte would also gain such development. “Tourism influx and development will surely come once this province is already out with the problem of insurgency” he stressed.