There will be no rest in the operations against the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), according to the incoming military chief.
“We are planning to fight the Abu Sayyaf 24/7,” incoming Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Ricardo Visaya said on Tuesday when asked how the military under his command would deal with the Islamic extremist group that recently beheaded two Canadians and abducted seven Indonesian sailors in the Sulu Sea.
Visaya, President-elect Rodrigo Duterte’s pick as AFP chief, made the statements in a media interview after a testimonial parade for outgoing Department of National Defense secretary Voltaire Gazmin at the AFP headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo.
Visaya said one of his priorities would be to make a trip to Jolo, Sulu, shortly after scheduled turnover ceremonies on July 1.
In an interview on Monday after the military’s testimonial parade in honor of outgoing Commander in Chief President Aquino, Visaya said the military had enough personnel to wage the 24/7 campaign in known ASG areas in western Mindanao. “We have 10 regional battalions and five individual companies there. I think it’s enough.”