Eastern Visayas Army forms new battalion to fight Reds

TACLOBAN CITY, Feb. 7  -- The Philippine Army in Eastern Visayas activated a battalion to reinforce military units in the more aggressive fight against communist rebels in the region.

The 93rd Infantry Battalion, also known as “Bantay Kapayapaan” (Peacekeeper), is headed by Lt. Col. Hilarion Palma and composed of well-trained army officers and enlisted military personnel.

In a statement issued Tuesday night, Major Gen. Raul Farnacio, commander of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division, said that aside from wiping out insurgents, the new battalion would also help prevent the spill-over of hostilities after the Marawi crisis, assist in addressing illegal drugs, and fight private armies in Samar Island.

“I am very confident and I expect highly of their capability as a unit to accomplish their mission. For one, most of them are seasoned officers and soldiers who have already accumulated trainings, experience and operational backgrounds of fighting our enemy in this rugged terrain of Samar and Leyte,” Farnacio said.
The army officially activated the team on Monday in a ceremony at Camp Eugenio Daza in Fatima village, Hinabangan, Samar.

In his visit to Eastern Samar late last year, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana announced the creation of 10 new battalions nationwide to augment the existing government forces in the fight against insurgency and terrorism.

In previous interviews, Farnacio admitted that insurgency remained a serious threat to the region’s peace and order with the efforts of the New People’s Army (NPA) to regain control of their former strongholds.

The NPA in Eastern Visayas has 403 active members with 577 firearms. It has five guerrilla fronts in Leyte and Samar provinces and maintain its influence in 31 villages, according to the 4th quarter 2017 report of the Philippine Army to the Regional Development Council. (SQM/RTA/PNA)