6th ID launches 'Bigkis Lahi'

CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao, Philippines  – The Army’s 6th Infantry Division launched yesterday an elite group that would oversee special community projects in far-flung Muslim communities in Central Mindanao, hotbed of Islamic militancy, to complement the government’s peace overture with Moro rebels in the region.

The group, dubbed Task Force Bigkis Lahi, is composed of former operatives of the 6th ID’s anti-crime Task Force Tugis, which once covered all 37 barangays of Cotabato City.

Task Force Tugis, organized 10 years ago to help the Cotabato City police fight kidnapping gangs, was tactically deactivated Tuesday by 6th ID commander Gen. Anthony Alcantara, to pave the way for the integration of its members into the peace-building Bigkis Lahi.