Troopers of the 79th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army arrived in Negros Oriental yesterday as part of the government's program to totally eradicate the insurgency problem in the country.

Lt. Col. Nestor Porlucas, commanding officer of the 79th IB which was formerly assigned in Bohol province, said that they will be under the operational control of the 303rd Brigade based in Murcia , Negros Occidental, until the arrival of the 302nd Brigade.

The 79th IB will take over the area of coverage of the 61st IB, from Tayasan town in northern Negros Oriental, down to Basay in the south.

Porlucas said the 79th IB will be headquartered in Siaton town.

The battalion arrived on board the Philippine Navy ship BRP Benguet that docked at the Dumaguete pier at noontime Monday.

Gov. Emilio Macias II, in welcoming the battalion, allowed its overnight stay at the Lamberto Macias Sports Center before moving out to their assigned areas.

Porlucas said that with President Arroyo's target goal of crushing the insurgency problem by 2010, the army will have to double its efforts in running after the rebels.

The army commander, however, assured that there shall be no human rights violations in their anti-insurgency campaign in Negros Oriental.

"Negros is the priority front (of the insurgents) in Central Visayas ...and their strategy is a protracted war. So, our counter move would be a rapid conclusion to such problem. That is why there is an increased deployment of government troops here," Porlucas said.

But, he also assured that the military will approach the insurgency problem through civil-military operations and not combat operations alone.

Porlucas admitted that when he was still the company commander of the 57th IB, handling the CAFGU company in Negros , the military's strategy was more on combat.

Now, the military would like to copy the success story in Bohol , where the insurgency has been cleared due to the support and cooperation of local officials and the people.

He stressed the need for an active participation of the local government units in fighting the problem by addressing basic issues such as poverty, food security and infrastructure like farm-to-market roads and other development projects.

On apprehensions raised by militant groups regarding possible militarization in the army's areas of coverage, Porlucas said this was not new to them.

The militant left is anti-development and would always try to persuade the people to turn against the government by spreading lies and sowing fear among residents in a particular area, he added.

But Porlucas said that in the coming days and months, the 79th IB will hold regular dialogs and community service, such as medical missions, in the countryside as part of their effort to reach out to the masses.*JG

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