Teodoro bats for 12 new Army battalions
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said on Saturday the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) needs 6,000 new recruits for the creation of 12 more battalions for the Philippine Army (PA) to sustain the momentum of crushing the long-drawn insurgency problem in the country.
In an exclusive interview with the Philippines News Agency (PNA), Teodoro said the 120 Army battalions at present need to be beefed up for the success of the AFP’s counter-insurgency operations.
Teodoro said each Army battalion is composed of 500 officers and men.
The AFP is facing a three-pronged insurgency war –- one against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the second against the communist New People’s Army (NPA), and the third front against the Abu Sayyaf terror group.
“We need more soldiers,” Teodoro said, adding that the 12 battalions will be of great help in combatting the insurgents.
Teodoro, who has made public his plan to run for president in next year’s elections, defended his proposal for the creation of a dozen more Army battalions because defeating insurgency is no small matter.
He explained that under the AFP’s counter-insurgency plan of clear-hold-and-develop, the additional battalions are needed to stick or hold an area which has been cleared to ensure the security of the people.
Teodoro said it would be a big blunder for the government if soldiers would leave an area just like that after its being cleared because the tendency is the rebels would come back with a vengeance.
He said 40 percent of the Army’s combat battalions are used as maneuver force while the rest is to guard the people and vital installations in a particular conflict-area.
The holding period takes years, Teodoro said.
The MILF has an estimated fighting force of 12,000 while the NPA has about 5,000 as of December 31, 2008, down from a peak of 25,600 in 1986.
The al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf, which is mostly based in Sulu and Basilan, has a much smaller number, but nonetheless poses a big security threat to the country.
The government has pushed the peace process to put an end to the country’s insurgency problem. (PNA)