by Jason de Asis
BALER, Aurora-The Philippine Army’s 91st Infantry “Sinagtala” Battalion vows to continue to the fullest level its legacy in bringing the message of hope in serving the people of Aurora.
Lt. Col. Julito B. Recto, Jr., commander of 91st IB said in an interview that the Sinagtala Battalion has achieved major accomplishments in the year 2023 through its operations in its peace efforts with various groups in the whole province of Aurora and the towns of Gabaldon and Bongabon in Nueva Ecija.
Recto said the biggest impact was the PHP11,798,444 livelihood programs awarded to 24 Peoples organizations (POs) whom members and officers were former rebels (FRs) and supporters of the Communist Terrorist Groups (CTG) of the New People’s Army (NPA). The POs entered their ventures in hito/karpa/tilapia raising, bigasang bayan, vegetable farming, rice farming, free Range Chicken, broiler chicken, sari-sari store, solar salt dryer, livestock in cow, piggery and poultry.
To help FRs cope with the increasing cost of production and sustain their productivity, Recto said the groups underwent Entrepreneurship and Financial Management Training with TESDA-Aurora, Tilapia fingerling Raising Seminar with the office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPAg) Aurora; Bookkeeping Seminar with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR-Aurora) and Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) NC1 with Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) from Nueva Ecija.
He added that a total of Php1,520,000 were given to 27 FRs under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) of the government. 39 Schools were also given info-drive against CTG infiltration and recruitment to the students.
The battalion commander also said that there were 120 enlisted personnel and 6 officers promoted last year. To maximize the expertise of each personnel inside the battalion, the 91st IB conducted 17 in-house training sessions.
Recto said that the year 2023 has achieved its accomplishments pursuant to the Marcos administration’s Five-Point Peace, Reconciliation and Unity agenda serving the people in their area of operations (AO).
“We are bringing the message of hope to our FRs and its supporters to rebuild their lives. Let us show good deeds and walk the path of peace with mutual understanding and solidarity to end local communist armed conflict. Let us push forward and sustain the gains of the comprehensive peace process together with the other concerned agencies,” Recto said.
