‘BLOOD WILL SURELY FLOW’: New Army unit chief vows to boost intel-driven military ops vs rebels

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

MURCIA – The newly-designated commander of the Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade (IBde) in Negros Occidental said that he will be relentless in pursuing the remaining armed fighters and supporters of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) in his area of assignment.

Colonel Orlando Edralin, who was the deputy commander of the 301st Infantry Brigade (IBde), assumed the post of Colonel Michael Samson in a turnover rite presided by Lieutenant General Benedict Arevalo, commander of 3rd Infantry Division (ID), held at 303rd IBde headquarters in Barangay Minoyan, Murcia town yesterday.

Edralin said they will conduct a more intensified intelligence-driven civil military and focused military operations in order to ensure the neutralization of the remaining communist terrorist groups (CTGs) in the area of operation.

“It will be long and hard, blood will surely flow but for sure there will be no withdrawal,” Edralin stressed.

Edralin said they will also continue with their collaboration and coordination with the different national and local government agencies together with the key stakeholders to support the local government units in the conduct of the local peace engagements.

He added that they will continue to capitalize and implement the framework of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) or the whole of government and the whole of nation approach in order to sustain the gains and continue with the delivery of the much needed socio-economic programs and interventions in the different cleared barangays and isolated barangays.

Edralin believed that through these measures, they can encourage the surrender of the remaining CTGs that are operating in the area of the 303rd IBde.

He will also continue the conduct of the community support sustainment program in order to prevent the CTGs in their recovery of cleared barangays and to prevent them in expanding to other barangays.

Edralin said that they will also continue providing situational and informative awareness to the youth who are the primary target of CTG recruitment, in coordination with concerned members of Regional Task Force-ELCAC.

“Ayaw naman natin ng away talaga, but we will push through with our fight,” he said, adding that they wanted to invite the remaining CTGs in the area to surrender.

Edralin also urged the brigade personnel to serve with passion, humility, and excellence so that they can accomplish their mission and mandates without any regret whenever or if ever they fail.

With the meager resources they have while given several mandated tasks, he encouraged all unit commanders and the personnel to properly and judiciously manage all the resources to maximize its utilization and be able to operate and live within their means.

This is to ensure that we will be performing with utmost efficiency and effectiveness given our available resources, he said.

He also reminded them to maintain an attitude and character of positivity, technical and tactical proficiency through continuous learning and education, to always respect human rights, be respectable, and be a reliable partner to the people.

For his part, Arevalo directed Edralin to maintain the momentum and tempo of the brigade, or even improve it.

Meanwhile, Samson, who served the 303rd IBde as acting commander for 36 days, will be waiting for the approval of the higher office regarding his designation to the 301st IBde in Panay.