Army preparing for war on other front: Climate change

CABANATUAN CITY—Soldiers of the Army’s 7th Infantry Division are gearing up to face an enemy “more deadly”  than insurgents, according to Brig. Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr., commander of the 7th ID based in Fort Magsaysay, Palayan City.

“We are psyching our soldiers for another kind of campaign, another front, which is more deadly. I am referring to the impact of climate change, like strong typhoons and flooding,”  Catapang said.

Describing the powerful typhoons that devastated Mindanao last year and Luzon two years ago, Catapang said “the typhoons and floods claimed more than 10,000 lives. If (this) continues, the number of fatalities (could) surpass the 30,000 deaths in the insurgency problem.”

The Army officer said the responsibility for fighting the New People’s Army (NPA) in areas declared insurgency-free had been turned over to the respective peace and order councils in Central Luzon and the Ilocos.

“If the role of the soldier is as the protector of the people, then it is appropriate to engage them in helping the people against the impact of climate change,” Catapang said.

He said the soldiers would be a big asset in their new role as their services are available 24 hours a day.

Equipment

“We are now requesting for the procurement of disaster-response equipment that our soldiers can use in times of calamity,” Catapang said, adding that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) would join a summit on climate change this year.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, he said, had asked the Army to determine at this summit the specific actions that soldiers could take whenever typhoons hit the country.

Catapang also challenged the leadership of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, the Communist Party of the Philippines and the NPA to join the military in fighting climate change, which he described as their “common enemy.”

Exceeded duties

“We are now fighting a new war which is deadlier. We must join together in saving lives, building disaster-proof schools that can be converted to evacuation centers, and (engage in) other activities to help the victims of this more deadly war,” he said.

In Baguio City on Saturday, outgoing AFP chief of staff Gen. Jessie Dellosa noted that Filipino soldiers “have remarkably exceeded their duties” as the AFP confronts new problems generated by climate change and a shrinking world economy.

Aside from combat assignments, soldiers are also tasked to rescue victims of calamities because extreme weather has rendered most of the country vulnerable to disasters, he said in a speech at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), where he was honored with a testimonial parade ahead of his retirement on Jan. 20. Dellosa graduated in 1979 as a member of PMA “Matapat” Class.

Dellosa said he was leaving the military at the crossroads of peace because the impending resolution to the Bangsamoro conflict ended the cycle of violence he once experienced as a young lieutenant during martial law.

He added that progress made in negotiating peace with secessionist groups and communist rebels meant that future military officers from the PMA “have every reason to look to the future with vigor and dynamism.” Anselmo Roque, Inquirer Central Luzon, and Vincent Cabreza, Inquirer Northern Luzon