Manila: A battle-tested unit of the Philippine Army was ordered deployed to the Golan Heights as United Nations peacekeepers, officials announced recently.
A contingent comprised of members of the 76th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army will serve as the core of a force of Filipino soldiers that be tasked to safeguard peace in the buffer sector separating Syria and Israel.
Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Eduardo Oban Jr., as the guest of honour and speaker, led send-off ceremonies for the contingent Tuesday at the armed forces headquarders in Camp Emilio Aguinaldo in suburban Quezon City.
While there had been several occasions in the past where Philippine peacekeepers were deployed in the Golan Heights, the impending deployment of the 76th Infantry "Victrix" Battalion marks the first time that a unit largely made up of soldiers from the battalion had been sent to the disputed area in the Middle East.
Col. Cornelio Valencia, the commanding officer of the 76th infantry battalion will also serve as contingent commander of the 4th Philippine Contingent in the Golan Heights.
The contingent is comprised of 49 officers, ten of whon from the 76th infantry batallion and 278 enlisted personnel from the same unit. Six of the officers in the contingent are women.
According to the army, the 76th Victrix battalion had been chose for its achievements in the battlefield. The unit had been touted as one of the best performers among the armed forces' infantry battalions.
Among the most glaring achievement of the battalion is the clearing the Southern portion of Quezon province of communist New People's Army rebels under the Guerilla Front 42.
"This is the first time in AFP's (Armed Forces of the Philippines) history that a core battalion from a major service is sent to the United Nations for peace keeping operations. This idea is to send a core group to emphasize unit integrity and enhance competitiveness with foreign contingents", Valencia said.
Valencia added, "The unit mastered its peace, development and environmental campaigns that gave it an outstanding reputation to the different stakeholders in its former area of responsibility."
The AFP has significant troop contribution to UN contingent and had been increasingly active in global peacekeeping duties.
According to a statement released by the AFP, the UN is also due to receive the 14th Philippine Contingent to Liberia (PCL) headed by Col. Pablo Liwan.
The 57 strong 14th Philippine contingent to Liberia, comprised of five army officers, nine enlisted personnel from the Philippine Navy, five enlisted personnel from the Philippine Air Force and 38 soldiers from the army.
The 14th PCL was deployed in two batches last 18 August and 1 September, 2010.
"As advocates of peace and security, the AFP will continue to secure and sustain international peace by supporting the leading advocacies of organizations such as the UN Also, our continuous participation in such peace building efforts will continue to develop our soldiers to become pro-active players in managing armed violence which they could apply upon return, "said Oban.
Like contingents from other countries, Philippine peacekeepers' are given six month tour of duty.
