BARRACKS AND STRATEGY
By Lt. Gen. AURELIO B. BALADAD (Ret)
During the 126th Philippine Army (PA) Anniversary last March 22, 2023 at Fort Bonifacio, President Bongbong Marcos (PBBM) gave the order for the PA to be “fully prepared and capable for any contingencies, especially considering you are the country’s last line of defense against any external security threat.” The shift from internal security operations (ISO) (focused on insurgents and separatist), towards territorial defense (TD) (focused on foreign aggressors) poses a big challenge for the PA.
The insurgency situation
On Dec. 4, 2018, EO 70, established the NTF-ELCAC. It institutionalized the Whole-of-Nation Approach to attaining inclusive and sustainable peace and directed the adoption of a national peace framework. NTF-ELCAC, in effect, harnessed all resources available from the nation and synchronized the social, political, economic, diplomatic, informational, and military aspects of ISO.
For 2022, the Army cleared 776 conflict-affected barangays and engaged the NPA 464 times. This limited the NPA-initiated violent incidents to 34. Recorded surrenders numbered 2,602 with the local government negotiating the majority. Neutralized were the top leaders Benito Tiamzon, chairperson, and Wilma Tiamzon, the secretary-general of the CPP as evidenced by the recent admission of their demise. This was compounded by the death of its founder Jose Maria Sison on Dec. 16, 2022.
The impact of NTF-ELCAC on ISO resulted in a notable reduction of the CPP-NPA. Comparing the end of 2022 to 2021, CPP-NPA strength went down to 2,008 from 2,791, firearms to 1,817 from 2,712, and conflict-affected barangays from 815 to 409. Only 22 guerrilla fronts remained, down from 41. The synergized endeavors of the government, its relevant agencies, and other stakeholders, through the whole-of-nation approach of the NTF-ELCAC brought about the gains.
As a result, then-DND OIC Senior Undersecretary Jose C. Faustino, Jr. declared strategic victory against the CPP-NPA on Sept. 28, 2022.
These accomplishments all indicate that the PA is winning the peace.
Challenges
As the PA shifts to TD, it must ensure the sustainment of the gains in ISO.
In the early 1990s, the CPP-NPA also significantly weakened and the PNP assumed the responsibility for insurgency in 1992 as per Republic Act (RA) 6975 dated Dec. 13, 1990. However, from 1992 to 1995, data showed a resurgence. The CPP-NPA recovered, reestablished influence, and rectified its errors. RA 8551 of 1998 returned the ISO responsibility to the DND-AFP with the PNP playing the support role to the AFP.
The PA learned a hard lesson from this past event. The assessment of Col. Jacob Thaddeus Obligado in his paper written in 2004 revealed that the brief transition period of the turnover of ISO to the PNP made them unable to plan and prepare for their new mission. The PNP organization was not restructured for unconventional warfare to properly deal with the CPP-NPA’s method of fighting. Also, there was no appropriate logistical and financial support given to the PNP. In summary, there was no proper handover.
To sustain the gains, the PA must prepare the PNP and give them enough time in responsibly handling the ISO while the PNP must reorganize its forces for ISO with ample support.
The shift to TD means that resources need to be shifted for TD. Careful consideration should be given by the PA when, where, and what to pull out from ISO in terms of finance, personnel, and equipment. Too fast a shift may give the insurgents the ability to recover their spent forces.
The PA must increase its capability for TD. The development, organizing, training, and equipping require the framing of creative doctrines and strategies. The acquisition of Sabrah light tanks and the ATMOS 155mm self-propelled artillery coupled with the reactivation of the Tank Battalion and the activation of the Artillery Battalion, and the 3,227 different mobility vehicles issued to its units last year, is a major boost to its capability build-up. It must capacitate its reserve force components through the ROTC and the reserve force development programs.
The shift requires a hefty amount of resources. Congress realizes the need for credible defense but must find creative ways to fund the defense requirements. Meanwhile, leveraging the country’s alliances is necessary to prevent incursion and invasion. Equally important is to sustain and strengthen our relationship with our allies.
The significant reduction of CPP-NPA strength, firearms, and Guerilla Fronts, and the declaration of strategic victory, the PA, the lead contributor in ISO, is winning the peace. However, winning the peace is vastly different from having completely won the peace. It is therefore imperative that the Philippine Army wins the peace against the insurgent groups while it builds a credible ground defense to ensure that it serves the people and secures the land. It will do this by sustaining the gains, building its capability, and informing the people that security is everyone’s responsibility.
(Lt. Gen. Baladad served as the 8th commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command, the 32nd commander of the 3rd Infantry (Spearhead) Division, and the former deputy chief of staff for Operations, J3 of the AFP. He is a graduate of Master in Development Management (with Dist) of AIM. He is now the VP for cooperative planning and marketing of PAFCPIC, a cooperative serving the active and retired AFP personnel.)