BRIGADIER General Anthony Cacayuran, commander of 54th Engineering Brigade (54EBde), vowed to continue supporting the 11th Infantry Division (ID) in its quest to neutralize the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and bring about peace in Sulu.
Cacayuran issued the statement as he visited Friday, December 18, 2020, the province of Sulu and paid a courtesy call to Major General William Gonzales, commander of the 11ID, which has jurisdiction over the province.
“The Abu Sayyaf Group is losing its maneuver space as we are constructing farm-to-market roads for the local populace. But then, I am more grateful that our unit is given the opportunity to help and provide the building blocks for economic development here in this province,” Cacayuran said.
The 54EBde caters to engineering development projects to the whole area of Western Mindanao Command and has deployed 545th Engineering Battalion (EBn) to the province of Sulu to provide support to troops, as well as to contribute to socioeconomic development programs of the provincial government.
Gonzales expressed his appreciation for the contribution of the Army Engineers in rehabilitating the conflict areas in Sulu.
“The Provincial Task Force in Ending Local Armed Conflict led by Governor Abdusakur Tan, and of course supported by our security forces here in Sulu, were able to return back the bakwits (evacuees) to their respective homes. The contribution of the 54EBde is really unique in a sense that their project is immediate yet lasting,” Gonzales said
He said the engineering brigade has built public toilets and water systems in Maligay and Kabbon Takas villages in Patikul before residents formally returned to their communities.
The 545EBn, a unit of the 54EBde, also has ongoing projects in the second district of Sulu, like the road widening of the circumferential road in the municipalities of Luuk and Omar.
Cacayuran has also checked on the progress of the road widening and the situation of 545EBn in the municipality of Luuk. (SunStar Zamboanga)