More Army troops sent to Samar

MANILA, Philippines - An additional Army battalion has been deployed to Samar to augment existing troops in the area and to beef up the government’s counterinsurgency drive, the military said.

Maj. Gen. Mario Chan, commander of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division, said the 87th Infantry Battalion will carry out internal security operations in Samar, one of the areas with a huge concentration of communist rebels. 

Led by Lt. Col. Leo Madronal, the 87th IB was formed last April and underwent training in Barangay Erenas, San Jorge town. A battalion consists of about 500 soldiers.

Lt. Col. Noel Vestuir, 8th ID spokesman, said the additional troops were given the necessary equipment to ensure their readiness in conducting key operations.  

He said these include crew-served weapons like K3 squad automatic weapons, 90-millimeter recoilless rifles, 81-mm and 60-mm mortars, grenade launchers, sub-machineguns, and Harris radios. 

“Deploying an additional battalion will be a big boost in the government’s efforts of pursuing the fleeing NPA (New People’s Army) bandits in the area,” Vestuir said.