Sunday, March 25, 2007 Soldiers also patrol urban Cebu
METRO Manila is not the only urban area in the country seeing soldiers frequenting the area.
Personnel from the Central Command (Centcom) have also been deployed to certain areas in Metro Cebu even before the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit took place.
Centcom spokesperson Lt. Col. Jefferson Omandam told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday they have deployed personnel to counter armed rebels from recruiting and seeking support from residents of depressed areas.
Omandam explained that it was common for members of the New People’s Army (NPA) to influence those in depressed areas.
Dental, not combat
Because the NPA is known to target depressed areas, Centcom is also taking their missions to these places, Omandam said.
However, he clarified that these deployments are not combat missions.
“We are there to bring basic services closer to the people. That is why we are constantly holding medical and dental missions in these barangays,” Omandam said.
He named Ermita, Cebu City, Tanke, Talisay City, Labogon, Mandaue City and some areas in the towns of Cordova and Consolacion as their target areas.
Omandam said many residents of these barangays have economic problems and are easy targets for NPA recruitment.
“There are many there who are so destitute that they sometimes break the law to earn a living. Instead of their going somewhere to get these services, we will be going to them,” he said.
He added that by sending their forces to bring social services there, they are helping poor residents avail themselves of services for free.
As for training, he said that Centcom Commanding General Cardozo Luna has requested more training for personnel who will be in these missions because this was new to them.
“We cannot send combatants to do this mission without special training. This group has to be trained to do this kind of task,” he explained.
Special training
“There are so many barangays in Metro Cebu. Kulangan pa atong puwersa. We need to train additional personnel for these missions,” he added.
Army Chief Romeo Tolentino revealed last Friday that Centcom was also deploying soldiers in Cebu City, following reports that the NPA was planning to establish a stronghold for their sparrow units.
He had said there was a need to deploy soldiers in Cebu and said it was possible the soldiers who have been doing peacekeeping missions abroad will be deployed here.
Asked if they monitored the presence of sparrow units in the urban centers, Omandam said they have not.
But he said members of the NPA have constantly roamed urban areas through their “front organizations.”
“They are always organizing rallies and demonstrations against the government,” Omandam said. (MEA)
