Army seeks better civilian protection against insurgents
The Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division aims to strengthen protection for civilians and Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Units (CAFGUs) against insurgents.
First Lt. Mark Andrew Posadas, spokesperson of 3rd ID, said the program will show that the community’s sympathy is for soldiers and not the rebels.
He said the New People’s Army (NPA) has implemented a new tactic of threatening the community to stop them from report the presence of rebels to government security forces.
Posadas said the NPA intentionally deceives the residents by wearing Army uniforms and pretending to be government troopers, a move aimed to destroy the credibility of soldiers.
Meanwhile, First Lt. Angelito Luna, civil military operations officer of 11th Infantry Battalion, said the Philippine Army’s “Oplan Pagpa-kusug sa CAA” or “Oplan Strengthen our CAA” has been a success.
CAA refers to Cafgu Active Auxiliary, a defense unit in far-flung communities.
Luna said the program aims to enhance the credibility of CAFGUs within their communities by having them proactively participate in the barangay activities through extensive interaction within the community itself.
This will help the CAFGUs become an integral part of the community and not just exist for defense purposes, he said.
Luna said the Army also encourages all civilians to report any perceived abuses carried out by soldiers so they can take appropriate action.*PNA
