THE soldiers of the 84th Infantry (Victorious) Battalion, Philippine Army along with soldiers from 703rd Infantry (Agila) Brigade, Philippine Army successfully thwarted the Communist Terrorist Group’s (CTG) criminal activities at Sitio Marikit East, Brgy. Abuyo, Alfonso Castaneda, Nueva Vizcaya on June 20, Thursday.
Before the Army’s combat and aerial operations, people in the community reported the presence and criminal activities of the members of the CTG in the area to the authorities.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Jerald Reyes, Commanding Officer, 84IB, based on the information given by the community, the CTG has established a strong position in the mountainous area of Alfonso Castaneda, so we resorted to the conduct of aerial operations.
The CTGs were believed to be heavily armed and coming from the Kilusang Larangang Guerrilla Tarlac – Zambales regrouped themselves for a specific task targeting the areas declared as in a state of Stable Internal Peace and Security.
“The Army, as the protector of the people and as part of our sworn mandate, responded to the concerns of the community as the CTG was harassing them. In response, conducted combat and aerial operations to locate the enemy to prevent them from harming the civilians,” Lt. Col. Reyes said.
Soldiers continue to preserve the peace, security, and development in active cooperation with the Philippine National Police, the Municipal Local Government Unit of Alfonso Castaneda, and the community.
“We thank the local officials of Brgy. Abuyo for initiating loudspeaker operations in their community to calm the residents and help the families evacuate to a safer place,” he said.
Meanwhile, Brigadier General Joseph Norwin D. Pasamonte PA, Commander of the 703rd Infantry (Agila) Brigade, Philippine Army, condemns the criminal activities of the CTG in Alfonso Castaneda harming the peace-loving communities.
“Our top priority is the safety of the people in the community. We assured the public that no innocent civilians were hurt during the operation. A total of 49 families were safely evacuated with the assistance of the Alfonso Castaneda LGU,” Brig. Gen. Pasamonte said.
The safe evacuation of the families followed after the unit conducted an aerial attack on the specific location of the enemy. Said efforts were part of the preservation of peace, security, and development which the LGU and the community have been working hard for a long time.
