The 5th Infantry "Duty Bound" Battalion (IB) triumphed in the four-day Division-Wide Squad Challenge hosted by the 1st Infantry "Tabak" Division (ID).
The Division-Wide Squad Challenge was held from April 24 to 27 at Camp Major Cesar Sang-an in Pulacan, Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur, and was participated in by the organic battalions of the 1ID.
The 1ID said in a statement Sunday, April 30, that the competition aims to test the individual and collective competence of the squads; promote teamwork, leadership, and cohesion within the squad; check on the implementation of the squad permanency of the Infantry Battalions; emphasize the importance of strengthening the rifle squads; test the instinctive shooting competence of the rifle squad’s members; and enhance the basic DRO skills of Tabak personnel as the first responder.
The challenge was divided into nine events, namely Physical Fitness Test (PFT), Weapons Communication, Movement Techniques, Immediate Action Drills, Land Navigation, Patrol Base Operation, Combat Life Saving, Disaster Response Operation (DRO), and Instinctive Shooting Techniques.
The 1ID said that among the nine participants, the 3rd squad, 2nd Platoon Alpha Company of 5IB, coached by their commanding officer, First Lieutenant Jeffrey Matudio, was adjudged as the overall champion during the closing ceremony.
The 1ID said that this achievement only shows that the 5IB troopers are always ready and prepared to face any challenges and threats that may jeopardize the peace and development in its area of operations. (SunStar Zamboanga)