THE military vowed that it will lay out the divisions' anti-insurgency plan for 2011 by this week.
Major General Jorge Segovia, commander of the 10th Infantry Division, said the plan would be heavy on civil military operations in accordance to President Benigno Aquino III's order to the government troops.
"By next week, meron na kami. As far as the division is concerned, it will be very heavy in civil military operations. Combat operations are still part of our operations being military because we are confronting an armed group. But purely military operation is a thing of the past. If there is an armed resistance, we will have to resort to combat operations but our leaning edge would be on civil military operations," Segovia said.
He said he plans to bring in a P225 million worth of projects as he aims to give 50 community projects with P4.5-million budget each.
"I am bringing to the troubled areas in this region as of now 33 Kabataang Barangay projects or community projects of about P4.5 million per project and I hope to increase this number to 50. I hope to implement it during my time so if I can stay long enough to implement it kasi hindi nman natin mainplement sabay-sabay," Segovia said.
"This will be our projects for remote areas. Hindi naman namin kinukuha yung function ng ibang agencies. We are just augmenting it and we are going to places where agencies are being harassed by the terrorist so kami yung magi-implement ng project. We will bring the services to our disadvantaged kababayan," he said.
Segovia said the military is currently focusing more on building "relations to the grassroots."
"Leaning edge namin ngayon is not combat. It's working with the grassroots, helping the community, doing developmental work that's not necessarily building infrastructures. We're into human development, conducting leadership camps for the youth, empowering the barangays," he said.
For areas that will be affected the communist rebels, Segovia said the military will bring back the empowerment to the duly elected officials and not to shadow governments that is being established by the terrorists.
Segovia, who replaced Major General Carlos Holganza a week ago, said he has "very good commanders."
"I realized I have good brigade commanders and battalion commanders. They have their own visions for a better place in their areas and so I will put them together and I will implement them so makita natin yung better Davao," he said.
Segovia, during the AFP-PNP-Press corp media briefing Thursday at Task Force Davao headquarters in Sta. Ana wharf, noted that the New People's Army will be more active in the coming months as the barangay elections nears.
"We have hotspots we will be focusing on, certain places in Davao Norte, in Davao City (we have) Paquibato, a big part in Compostela Valley and the boundary of Agusan and Bukidnon. Lulutasin natin lahat yan (We will solve all these problems)," he said. (JCZ)