ILOILO City – The Philippine Army plans to set up more Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) detachments in Panay Island.
These could help the Army keep the island peaceful, particularly areas with insurgents, said Colonel Benedict Arevalo, commander of the 301st Infantry Brigade based at Camp Hernandez in Dingle, Iloilo.
“We have priority (areas such as) Calinog, Maasin, Lambunao, and Miag-ao,” said Arevalo during a visit to the Iloilo provincial capitol on Monday.
He also mentioned municipalities in Aklan and Capiz such as Dumarao.
“We are trying to secure our (anti-insurgency) gains in Panay Island. We can’t be complacent. ‘Yong kalaban naman natin merong kakayahan na magpalakas uli (The insurgents could still beef up their force),” added Arevalo.
The commander of the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) based in Jamindan, Capiz, Brigadier General Dinoh Dolina estimated last month the number of armed rebels in Western Visayas at 380 – 150 in Panay Island and the rest in Negros Island.
The Army currently has 42 active Cafgu detachments in Panay Island, according to Arevalo.
But with many government infrastructure projects in the countryside needing protection, these may not be enough, he stressed.
“And malapit na rin ang (May 2019) election,” added Arevalo.
Recruitment for Cafgu is continuing, he stressed.
The proposed 15 new Cafgu detachments would need some 500 personnel, said Arevalo.
By the end of 2018, the Army hoped to have already established the detachments.
Executive Order (EO) 264 issued by the President Corazon Aquino in July 1987 established the Cafgu. She invoked a provision in the 1987 Constitution calling for the formation of a “Citizen Armed Force” (Article 16, Section 4), which shall undergo military training and serve as may be provided by law.
EO 264 provided that all able-bodied citizens shall become reservists with appropriate ranks. All reservists in a particular locality shall be organized into reserve geographical units subject to call and mobilization as the need arises, individually or as a unit./PN
