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By Al Jacinto Correspondent
ZAMBOANGA CITY: The chief of the
Marines has been named the new commander of military forces in
Mindanao.
Maj. Gen. Nelson Allaga on
Wednesday formally took over the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom),
replacing Army Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, who has retired after more
than 33 years in military service.
Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, the
Armed Forces chief of staff, presided over the ceremony held in
Zamboanga City.
“Nothing has changed. We will
continue with our operations against the terrorists,” Allaga, a
decorated Marine officer who battled communist and Muslim
insurgencies in Mindanao, said.
Thousands of Marines have been
sent to Basilan and Sulu to fight the Abu Sayyaf.
“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 out naval forces exactly for the strategic task of
securing our southern part of the archipelago,” Esperon said.
President Arroyo has 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
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 military unit
that would 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.
Esperon also gave five orders to
military commanders in southern Philippines and among them is to
destroy the New People’s Army and the Abu Sayyaf, blamed for the
spate of terrorism and kidnappings in the region.
“Remember our marching order
[from the President] is to defeat the communist-terrorist movement
by 2010 and destroy the Abu Sayyaf and other lawless elements
soonest,” he said.
He also told soldiers to uphold
and protect human rights and assist police authorities and other
government law-enforcement agencies and bodies in investigating
extrajudicial killings.
Esperon said the military should
work closely with the Philippine National Police to carry out
security operations and for the soldiers to support the peace talks
with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, but warned that the Armed
forces would punish those who would disrupt the peace process in
Mindanao.
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