The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has deployed two marine units in Northern and Central Luzon to boost the military’s strength against communist insurgency.
The 4th Marine Brigade (4MBde) and Marine Battalion Landing Team 8 (MBLT8) arrived at the Laoag International Airport in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte on Thursday, Sept. 15, to augment ground forces in Northern and Central Luzon against the remaining communist guerillas.
The two units combatted terrorism in Sulu under the Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) for more than six years prior to the new deployment.
In Sulu, the units were responsible for the recovery of 572 high-powered firearms, 222 surrenderees from the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), recovery of smuggled goods with P21 million, and settlement of 23 rido or clan feuds, the military said.
The marine units will now be repositioned under the operational control of the Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM).
Lt. Gen. Ernesto Torres Jr., commander of NOLCOM, said he expects that the newly-arrived troops will help them in confronting the threat of insurgency in all fronts, and sustain peace, security, and development in their areas of operation.
“We will optimize the employment of your capabilities as a unit in order to make sure we win the fight against communist terrorists in NOLCOM’s joint areas of operation,” he said.
The NOLCOM is in charge of the military operations in Ilocos (Region 1), Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Cagayan Valley (Region 2), and Central Luzon (Region 3), including the Scarborough Shoal and Philippine Rise.