AFP test missions

Today our attention is on the Ayungin Shoal in the Spratlys. Fortunately we have presence in this particular area, with Navy personnel stationed on a grounded Philippine Navy vessel, the BRP Sierra Madre. But certain actions have to be taken to strengthen our position here.

Remember Mischief Reef?

In 1995 the Chinese built huts ostensibly for their fishermen. Mischief Reef is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. Nothing was done about their presence and now they have established a foothold in the area that serves as a forward base for the continuing “creeping” invasion of Philippine territory.

It is wise to consider the proposal of Kalayaan Mayor

Eugenio Bito-onon. He suggested the setting up of modest infrastructures on a number of islets close to Ayungin Shoal, to discourage Chinese attempts to develop a stronger presence in the area. No one can prevent us from carrying out peaceful development activities in our own territory. Ayungin Shoal must not suffer the same fate as Mischief Reef. If it does, we have only ourselves to blame.

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To mark 50 years of valiant service to the nation, the Special Forces (SF) of the Philippine Army recently came out with a book that provides us with a historical overview of this elite unit of our Armed Forces.

The making of a Special Forces fighter consists of three phases: the basic, specialization and advance phases, each lasting for about three months. The final part of the advance phase is known as the “test mission.” Usually undertaken in conflict areas, the test mission is a validation and application of what the students learn from their training and is carried out in an actual combat environment.

The test mission is the baptism of fire for each SF fighter. This is where his training, severe physical conditioning and keenly honed battle instincts are supposed to pay off. This is where his confidence is built and nurtured through encounters with the enemy.

While there may be variations in the training programs of the SF and the Marines, the two elite units of the AFP, their programs are both geared to prepare the men for an eventual test mission against enemy forces. They have been trained to engage, to fight, and to improvise as necessary, in the absence of equipment and supplies. The test mission is often a measure of the effectiveness of those training programs.

At the Philippine Military Academy, cadets undergo all kinds of tests as they move from the first to the fourth year. Failure can result in dismissal or having to repeat certain portions of the curriculum. At the Philippine Air Force Flying School, a student undergoes periodic tests to determine his continued fitness for flying. Those who don’t make the grade are weeded out for their own good. In both cases, failure is never life threatening.

In AFP elite units, however, the test mission takes on a different character. Failure can prove fatal for the soldier.

In 2007, Force Recon Class 13 of the Philippine Marines mounted a test mission on an Abu Sayyaf lair in Tipo-Tipo, Basilan. The deadly mission resulted in the deaths of five officers and 10 enlisted men.

Last week, seven Marines led by 2nd Lt. Alfredo Lorin, PMA Class 2011, met the same fate as Force Recon Class 13 in 2007, this time in Patikul, Sulu.

On the other hand, some of the AFP’s greatest victories were registered by its elite units.

In September 2006, a 27-strong Marine Recon team, led by a young PMA graduate, 2nd Lt. Romulo Dimayuga, came up against a 200-man Abu Sayyaf force. They inflicted 60 casualties on the enemy, including Khaddafi Janjalani, one of the most wanted Abu Sayyaf leaders in the region.

In January 2007, the SF of the Philippine Army scored another victory with the death of Abu Sulaiman in an encounter in the jungles of Sulu. Sulaiman was the brains of the Abu Sayyaf organization and was responsible for planning the Dos Palmas resort kidnapping in 2001, as well as bombings in Makati, Davao, and General Santos City. As one of the most wanted terrorists of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sulaiman carried a $5-million bounty on his head. He represented hard-core terrorism and thus was the most dangerous member of the Abu Sayyaf group.

The leader of the SF operatives against Sulaiman’s group was 1st Lt. Almirante Mijares, a native of Davao del Sur who graduated with Class ’44 of the Officer Candidate School in Tanay, Rizal. The rifleman responsible for getting Abu Sulaiman in his gunsight was a young Marine corporal, Raul Suacillo from Zamboanga City.

Of course, one of the most notable achievements by SF troopers was the “Raid on a Cliff” led by Capt. Arturo Ortiz. In 1990, as head of the 606th Special Forces Company based in Negros Occidental, Ortiz led a team of Special Forces and Cafgu elements in a long drive against NPA rebels in the mountains of Murcia. In order to reach their objectives, the team had to scale a 1,000-foot high cliff—the slope, almost 90 degrees, with few handholds and footholds. But this was the only route that offered a backdoor entry to the NPA camp.

In the attack that followed, the NPA lost 84 men, and 34 firearms were recovered, along with thousands of M-16 and Garand rounds. It was reported that 105 trainees at the NPA camp were demoralized and eventually abandoned the communist cause.

For his outstanding leadership and gallantry in action, Captain Ortiz was awarded the Medal of Valor, the highest combat award in the AFP. He would later serve as the Philippine Army’s commanding general.

One can engage in debates over what went wrong in the latest “test mission” carried out by the Marines. The fact remains we are fighting a war that most Filipinos take for granted. Even as we continue to talk and advocate peace, we must be prepared for situations where, for some people, peace holds a different meaning.

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The classic struggle between two of the oldest PMA post-war classes moved to Camp Aguinaldo over the weekend. Class 1956 and 1957 continued their golf rivalry as the action moved from the Philippine Navy Golf Course in Fort Bonifacio to the Aguinaldo Golf links in Quezon City.

It doesn’t really matter who won. What is important is the spirit of fellowship that the game engenders among the players. It’s also good for the health. Incidentally the average age of Class 1956 players is 80; that of 1957 is 79.