SERVING
THE PEOPLE.
SECURING
THE LAND.
118
th
Philippine Army
Anniversary
To the soldiers past and future, who have brought peace to this nation; we salute your courage, bravery, and love forVol.
our
country.
4 No.
1
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CONTENTS
VOL. 4, NO. 1
MARCH 2015
features
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08
10
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33
34
12
6
Army Receives
New Field Ambulance
Voice of a Soldier: An Army
with Empowered NCO Corps
Awarding of
Reward Money to Informants
SOLCOM: Peace
No Longer A Dream
A Closer Look on
the AFP Coat of Arms
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2
updates
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22
24
26
28
30
36
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GENERAL HEADQUARTERS
ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES
CIVIL RELATIONS SERVICE
CAMP GENERAL EMILIO AGUINALDO,
QUEZON CITY 1110
TEL: (+632) 9116001 LOC 5665/5605
EMAIL: magcrsafp@gmail.com
F OR EWOR D
EDITORIAL BOARD
BGEN JOSELITO E KAKILALA AFP
Commander
COL LENARD T AGUSTIN (GSC) PA
Deputy Commander
COL MANUEL V SEQUITIN (MNSA) PA
Chief of Staff
EDITORIAL STAFF
COL JOSE RANDOLF M SINO CRUZ (GSC) PA
Editor-in-Chief
CDR GREGORY GERALD V FABIC PN
Associate Editor
CPT CELESTE FRANK L SAYSON (INF) PA
Managing Editor
ART DIRECTOR
Saif S. Usman
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS
Helen S. Buales CE
Annie E. Cruzada CE
Princess A. Samiano
Abigael M. Manalo
LITERARY CONTRIBUTORS
AW2C Carla Catherine U Catera PAF
Andre Jonathan T. Obidos CE
ARTIST
Mark Lester D. Decena
ADMINISTRATIVE & TECHNICAL SUPPORT
MSgt Leodegario A Valdez PA
TSg Jose C Sumilig PA
AW1C Thelma P Lina PAF
AW2C Ellen T Delatado PAF
Joselito R. Dellague CE
Printed by: CRSAFP Printing Press
The Ang Tala magazine, published quarterly by the
Information Development Group of the Civil Relations Service,
Armed Forces of the Philippines, is an informational tool
designed to keep its internal and external audiences aware
of the AFPs activities, administrative and operational thrusts,
and accomplishments. This publication can also be utilized to
present novel ideas related to soldiers service to the country
and people.
The opinions expressed in this publication do not
necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Armed Forces
of the Philippines or any other agencies of the Philippine
government unless otherwise specified by the author.
Letters to the Editor are encouraged. Any opinion
and article you send will be appreciated. Please send to:
magcrsafp2@gmail.com
THE COVER
JOSELITO E KAKILALA
Brigadier General
AFP
Commander
Vol. 4 No. 1
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CHIEF OF STAFF
ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES
CAMP GENERAL EMILIO AGUINALDO, QUEZON CITY
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FEATURE
Vol. 4 No. 1
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FEATURE
Army
Receives
New Field
Ambulance
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Photo by:
OACPA, PA
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units
were
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Voice of a Soldier
An Army with
Empowered
NCO Corps
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WESCOM at 39:
CLOSING RANKS AND JOINING HANDS
FOR A SECURE FUTURE
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in terms of sea, air and land areas. Unlike other Unified Commands, however,
WESCOMs operations are primarily sea
and air-based and territorial defense-oriented.
WESCOM came into existence on
March 16, 1976 upon the implementation of Letter of Instruction 01/76, code
named Serpens, which aimed to provide and maintain Philippine strategic presence at the Kalayaan Island
Group following its annexation as part
of the Philippine territory through Presidential Decree 1596. Organized under
Commodore Gil Fernandez as the first
Commander, the Command was initially composed of forces from the Palawan
Philippine Constabulary Command,
Philippine Air Force with Task Force Palawan, Philippine Navy Forces with a Naval Task Group, and the 4th Coast Guard
District.
Force Development
In the eighties, in view of regional instabilities related to the spread of
communism, additional forces were
deployed such as the elements of 5th
Fighter Wing and 15th Strike Wing of the
Philippine Air Force, and one brigade
from the Philippine Marines. From only
two (2) components under its operational control, WESCOM developed in force
in response to the changing national security conditions and eventually became
an area command in 1988. Over the
years, Western Command progressively
evolved into a major unit of the Armed
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Maritime Frontline
Today, as the Armed Forces of the
Philippines readjusts its clock on internal
security operations and simultaneously faces up to the challenge of territorial defense, WESCOM finds itself in the
forefront of national efforts against territorial encroachments and maritime area
exploitation.
WESCOM likewise actively supports the provincial government in meeting safety and security objectives, socio-economic programs, environmental
protection endeavors, and crisis, disaster and emergency response activities.
"I have full trust and confidence in
the command and leadership abilities
of Admiral Alex Lopez to deliver on our
peace and development objectives," admitted Palawan Governor Jose Chaves
Alvarez. "As governor of Palawan, I want
to concentrate on my economic development priorities for Palaweos through
my I-HELP program, and I have already
expressed my desire for WESCOM to
lead all actions in safety and security to
ensure unity of efforts and protect our
gains , in this regard."
Reduced Internal Threat
Such trust given to the Commander of WESCOM has not been freely bestowed, but developed on the backbone
of solid achievements. In the first quarter
of 2014 through the collaborative efforts
of WESCOM and the Provincial Government of Palawan, 23 NPA members returned to the folds of thelaw and were
subsequently reintegrated into the mainstream society through the Local Social
Integration Program.
Conducive Climate for Progress
In the second quarter of the year,
considering the diminishing province-wide insurgency levels, the Provincial Government, WESCOM, the PPPO
and other relevant agencies agreed to
consensually sign the Joint Manifesto
Declaring the Province of Palawan as
a Conflict Manage-able Area and a
Zone of Sustained Peace, Development
and Pros-perity.
Sustained WPS Presence
In the third quarter, confronted with Chinas aggressive blocking of
reprovisioning missions in the Ayungin
Detachment, the Command employed
non-traditional air and sea maneuvers
and pushed for asymmetric hardening in
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Interagency
Arrange-
Not surprisingly, the current Commander of WESCOM has already put in place
the building blocks for jointness with an
all Joint Task Force organizational set.
Col Bimbo Quemado, the Commands Chief of Operations, explained,
Everything is now joint at WESCOM. For
ISO, we have Joint Task Force Peacock,
with two Joint Task Groups for Northern
Palawan and Southern Palawan. For
support to national development, particularly energy security, we have Joint
Task Force Malampaya. For territorial
defense, we have Joint Task Force West.
And for HADR, we have operationalize the Joint Task Force I-CARE, which
stands for Integrated Crisis Assistance
and Response to Emergencies.
Asymmetries at WPS
While the internal security situation
in the WESCOM AOR has significantly
improved, a number of key challenges
still loom ahead. The main challenge in
2015 for WESCOM undoubtedly lies in
the West Philippine Sea, where various
activities undertaken by China in its held
areas, including massive land reclamations, deepening of channels and infrastructural improvements, are beginning
to reveal Chinas power projection design and pose insecurity to the Philippines and other claimant countries.
Chinas mixture of actions combining continuous illegal occupation of Bajo
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Potential
Spillover
The preparations for RP-US Balikatan 2015 which is completed and set to
start in Palawan and other parts of the
country in the first quarter of this year
- with the Commander of WESCOM
placed in overall charge of the joint exercises. Given the memory of a very recent case where a US serviceman was
allegedly involved in the death of a Filipino, and the controversy surrounding the
Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), WESCOM needs to ensure not only safe training grounds, but
a controlled risk-free environment for all
participants.
Consolidating for Overall Mission Effectiveness
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UPDATES
2015
WITH A BLAST
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solcom:
PEACE
no
longer
a dream
After 28 years, Southern Luzon Command
moves forward to making more peace
efforts in its regions by creating strong
bonds with its stakeholders, building up
communities and bringing the services of
the government closer to the people.
Major General Ricardo R Visaya AFP,
Commander, SOLCOM
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HEALTH FAIR. SOLCOM conducts health fair and feeding program as part of its
Pre-Anniversary activities on January 31 to February 6, this year.
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CENTCOM
UPDATES
JTF FRANCIS
SECURES
PAPAL VISIT
IN LEYTE
By: Cpl Joy P dela Pea PA, 3CRG
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UPDATES
WESTMINCOM
TH
igkis Lahi para sa Kapayapaan (Inter-cultural and Interreligious Dialogue for Peace) is a 4th Civil Relations
Group (4CRG) program that intends to advance and
espouse the values of mutual respect, understanding and coexistence among inter-cultural and inter-religious groups
in mixed communities of Christian, Muslim and Lumad.
It is a program intended to espouse positive values against
radical elements among these communities which in some
cases caused tensions, conflict, and violence. The program
complements programs of partner organizations that advance
interfaith dialogue, and inter-religious engagement. It is not
an independent initiative but supports efforts that seek to
lobby like-minded individuals and groups at grassroots level
to shun ideologies that challenge the unity and prosperity of
communities.
The Bigkis Lahi program is a youth-oriented program
that involves youth leaders in the mixed communities
of Christians, Muslim, and Lumads, thereby providing a
platform and mechanisms for early engagement, cooperation
and experience that will harness the development and
practice of mutual respect and understanding, and most
importantly co-existence under the atmosphere of national
unity in diversity. This is a direct response to the idea
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UPDATES
EASTMINCOM
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UPDATES
JTF-NCR and
the Papal
Experience
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UPDATES
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AWARDING OF
TO
REWARD MONEY
INFORMANTS
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REFERENCES: 1.Circular Nr 22, GHQAFP dated 21 April 1955. 2.The Frontline Emblems, Headquarters Philippine Army, 2004.
3.The Light of Liberty, Jim Richardson, Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2013.
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FEATURE
DWDD bags
UPF is a global non-government organization with special consultative status with the Economic
and Social Council of the United
Nations. It supports the work of the
United Nations, particularly in the
areas of interfaith peace-building,
peace education, and the strengthenThe UPF bestows the PEACE ing of marriage and family.
Awards in recognition to deservDedicated to achieving world
ing individuals and organizations in
peace,
UPF
is an international nettheir field of expertise that contributes to peace, unity and prosperity in work of individuals and organizations, including representatives from
the country.
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News Snippets
Phl Marines acquire close combat optics
JANUARY 5, 2015 BY ALVIN SANTIAGO
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Surrender
Site Marker
Bataan
Location: Balanga City, Bataan
Description:
It is located inside Balanga Elementary School Grounds in
Balanga City, this site was used as a command post by Lt.
Gen. Homma at the time of Bataans Surrender wherein
Major Gen. King and his party signed the documents for the
surrender of the USAFFE forces in the Phlippines under a
mango tree on April 9, 1942.
40
Photo by:
Pfc Joven D Lapidez PA
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