CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City—General Romeo Brawner Jr, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (CSAFP), reiterated to the officers and enlisted personnel of the First Scout Ranger Regiment (FSRR) the order of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to end communist armed conflict in the country this year.
In his speech as Guest of Honor and Speaker in the Change of Command Ceremony of the FSRR in Bulacan on Wednesday, July 26, the CSAFP also cited the contributions of the AFP scout rangers in strategic and tactical victories, including the defeat of high-value individuals of the communist terrorist group (CTG).
"We’ve been given an urgent mission to defeat the horizontal and vertical units of the CTG this year. This is a tall task for all of us, because they are much harder to find as their numbers go small. But let us give our everything and our best so we will be able to accomplish this task,” he added, saying that the AFP intends to go “full blast” in its efforts to shift to territorial defense next year.
He also said that every scout ranger, with their specialized skill set in tracking adversaries, will be vital in achieving a complete victory against the enemy. The 4th Scout Ranger Battalion was deployed in Northern Samar to help in dismantling the last active guerilla front of the CTG and achieving this objective.
“As one of the AFP’s elite and hard-hitting forces against various threat groups, the FSRR has proven it’s indispensable position as a cutting-edge unit of the AFP as we fulfill our mandate of protecting the people and securing the country,” General Brawner Jr said, as he lauded FSRR for their role in the successful campaign that will pave the way for the AFP’s shift to territorial defense.
According to General Brawner Jr, the help and support of the FSRR were vital in the demise of several high-value targets from the last two years, including Jorge Madlos and Menandro Villanueva, both notorious communist terrorists. He was commander of the 4th Infantry Division that led the operation where Madlos died.
Meanwhile, in an interview yesterday, the CSAFP said that the AFP will toe the line and support diplomatic actions in resolving issues in the West Philippine Sea and that the AFP is open to have military relations with any country.
“We are actually opening up to any country who would like to help us. One of our efforts is to develop our own defense industry under the Self-Reliant Defense Posture program. As much as possible we try to get help from other countries because they are more modern and have funds for research and development,” General Brawner Jr said.///
(Photos by SSg Lopez/OACPA)
