2 Army battalions to complement strength in Negros island
Negros Occidental -- Two army battalions – the 15th Infantry Battalion and the 79th Infantry Battalion are to complement the army strength in Negros island.
The 15th Infantry Battalion with 500 strong personnel will be deployed in the northern part of Negros Occidental while the latter will be deployed in Siaton, Negros Oriental.
Both battalions are under the supervision of the Col. Honorato delos Reyes, Commanding General of the 303rd Infantry Brigade.
"The deployment of the additional military forces in the island is in line with the concentration of the clearing operation of the four guerilla fronts in Negros island by the last quarter of 2008," according to Sgt. Rolanie Dabi, information officer of the Area Coordinating Council.
Recently, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has declared an all-out war on the communist insurgency and set a 2010 deadline for the AFP to defeat the NPA.
An official of the Philippine Army said that aside from the recruitment of new troops, the Army would reduce the number of personnel assigned to headquarters so that there would be more soldiers in field units, the battalions and companies.
The New People's Army is at its weakest by the end of 2007 with only 5,760 fighters left based on a report from the Armed Forces of the Philippines. "The fight against the New People's Army (NPA) is in the final stages," the report added. (PIA/EAD)