Army battalion tries to master Peace 101

MAASIM, Sarangani—In this military camp in Barangay Tinoto, peace is not just a mission but a way of life.

No wonder the 73rd Infantry was adjudged the best Army battalion nationwide by the Armed Forces of the Philippines for the first and second quarters of this year.

In August 2008, the unit was pulled out from Davao and deployed in Maasim town in Sarangani to stop the violent attacks on civilians spawned by the botched signing of a proposed Bangsamoro homeland by government and Moro rebel leaders.

Soldiers ran after members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s  (MILF) 105th Base Command then led by Tokboy Maguid, a follower of renegade leader Ameril Umra Kato. Maguid’s group had staged a series of attacks in the towns of Maasim, Kiamba and Maitum (Makima) following the collapse of the peace talks.

The 73rd IB succeeded in driving the rebels away, but this did not endear its men to Moro civilians. On the contrary, they were perceived in the communities as ruthless and abusive.

The soldiers took the mind-set as a challenge rather than a stumbling block to their mission.

In 2009, the battalion, then led by Lt. Col. Edgardo “Boogie” de Leon, was assigned to Ampatuan town in Maguindanao to take the lead in implementing martial law and run after suspects of the massacre of at least 57 people, including media workers, in the province.

For capturing most of the suspects and recovering the biggest number of firearms, it received the Presidential Unit Citation Badge.

When a sense of normalcy was restored in Maguindanao, the 73rd IB returned to Sarangani to continue its peace and development work. But its operations chief, 1st Lt. Philmer Fernandez, said the residents still despised its presence, believing this was the source of violence.

“We were there to stop violence, but the irony was we were perceived as the cat among the pigeons,” Fernandez said. “Time failed to erase the nightmare left by martial rule. We were in a dilemma how to deal with it.”

There were proposals, especially coming from Moros, for the 73rd IB to immediately  pull out, but Gov. Miguel Dominguez refused to give in.

De Leon, the battalion chief, sat down with Dominguez and several peace advocates to discuss a program to help civilians forget the martial law past and start believing that “we are no longer the martial law soldiers.” The officer had earlier visited several conflict-torn villages and was touched by stories of abuses narrated by the martial law victims.

All officers of the 73rd IB, including De Leon, underwent a five-day “culture of peace” seminar held in Davao City to get a deeper perspective of the Mindanao problem. Police officers and several leaders of the Moro National Liberation Front and the MILF in Sarangani also attended.

Among the seminar modules were the history of Mindanao conflict and approaches to conflict resolution.

Peace building

Upon their return to camp, De Leon and his men drafted a two-part campaign dubbed “Kalinaw Sarangani,” which focused on peace building, and “Bonsai,” which dealt with nurturing a peace culture among residents.

Under Kalinaw Sarangani, the battalion launched the “Junior Hero” program and the “Child-Friendly Space.”

Nine-member peace and development teams (PDTs) were formed to recruit peace and development volunteers (PDVs) in almost all villages in Sarangani. At present, the province has a total of 9,050 PDVs.

The campaign was launched in predominantly  Muslim villages that were severely affected by the armed clashes in 2008. More than 12,000 people were displaced during the fighting.

Under the Junior Hero program, the soldiers served as storytellers. They mingled with Moro children to share with them the life of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal. They encouraged them to strive to become leaders and that they, too, can be living heroes.

They stressed the importance of good values, such as love of God and country, obedience to and respect for parents, and the rule of law.

“Before, the Moro children were afraid of us. They ran away and hid when they saw us coming,” Fernandez said. “Now, it’s totally different. They call us big brother and wave to us when they see our vehicles pass by.”

The friendship was further strengthened with the launching of the Child-Friendly Space. Soldiers served as teachers in elementary schools.

“We taught them, played with them in games which promote unity and team-building,” Fernandez said.

In the past, he said, the children in Barangay Gasi in Kiamba were aloof and avoided soldiers. Through the program, they became outgoing and approachable.

Officers emphasized to their men not to ask children or residents where the “enemies” are. “It’s a no-no. We just focused on what we were doing and did not ask anything about the enemy,” Fernandez said.

As a result, relative peace reigns in Sarangani. And for the first time, during the 2010 synchronized national and local elections, no untoward incident happened there.

Culture of peace

After a two-year stint, De Leon was designated chief of operations of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division in Davao City. His successor, Lt. Col. Adolfo Espuelas, pledged to continue the legacy of peace.

The battalion moved from its lowland base in Barangay Eslomi to a new hilltop camp in Barangay Tinoto, also in Maasim.

Like his predecessor, Espuelas is more of a peace crusader than a combatant. He was responsible for implementing the second part of the battalion’s campaign to nurture a culture of peace.

“We help identify the root causes of the problems in the grassroots, then bring these to the attention of the local government. We’re glad they act swiftly to address it,” he said.

Residents in the remote areas of Upper Kinam, Upper Suyan, Upper Daan Suyan and Upper Pag-asa in Malapatan, and Pag-asa and Datal Anggas in Alabel pointed to poverty, injustice, and lack of basic social services and farm-to-market roads among the problems.

“Where the road ends, the NPA (New People’s Army) begins. So the solution to the problem is still the efficient delivery of basic social services to remote communities,” Espuelas said.

He said his men shared their food ration to children of poor residents who hardly ate once a day. “They hardly feel the presence of the government in these areas,” he said.

The soldiers’ food ration is usually good for seven days, but during operations, this lasts for only four days, Espuelas said.

In addressing the insurgency problem, the solution is not purely military but economic and political, and that local government units play a vital role, Espuelas said.

Peace without development is hollow, he said. Thus, the 73rd IB conducts periodic medical and dental missions, “bayanihan” classroom, “gulayan sa kalinaw,” peace talks information campaign and conflict mediation and resolution.

Peace with development

To help promote tourism in the province, the unit turned the hilltop camp into a tourist destination. Among its attractions are the Flirtation Park, Serendipity Cafe and Serenity Lounge.

Since its inauguration on March 29, more than 9,000 visitors have visited the facility overlooking the scenic Sarangani Bay, among them the 12 heads of United Nations agencies who went there to monitor the foreign-funded projects in Sarangani.