AFP strengthens Diwalwal presence

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The Armed Forces has strengthened its presence at the gold-rush site in Mt. Diwalwal in Monkayo, Compostela Valley, considered one of the New People Army’s main sources of “revolutionary taxes” in this part of the country. 

According to the public affairs and information office of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, the 25th Infantry Battalion has been deployed to secure the mining area from the extortion activities of the communist insurgents.

“The focus of the military is to address the insurgency threats in Mt. Diwalwal. This mandate includes efforts to diminish the rebels’ capacity to extort money from the miners which runs into millions of pesos annually,” said Lt. Col. Roberto Ancan, commander of the Army’s 25th IB.

Ancan said his unit has been tasked “to conduct internal security operations in the mining area, foremost of which is to destroy and capture the political and military component of the guerrilla front and seize the firearms of the NPA rebels who operate in the Diwalwal mining reservation and environmentally critical area.”

Ancan belied reports that his unit would only be used to protect the interest of big-time miners in Mt. Diwalwal, saying their deployment is aimed at securing the more than 50,000 small-scale miners and their families who make up the bulk of the population in Mt. Diwalwal.

The 25th IB is also expected to secure the main communication lines between the mining site and the main town of Monkayo.

The military unit will also extend support to government agencies in the delivery of basic services such as health and education.

Together with the police unit in the area, the 25th IB also forms part of the Internal Security Task Group of the National Task Force Diwalwal’s Program Monitoring and Coordination Center.