PHILIPPINE Army 1003rd Brigade commander Col. Ernesto Torres said Davao City and neighboring areas in Davao region are considered “good targets” of Islamic State terrorists, as Davao City is considered the seat of government outside of Metro Manila, being President Duterte’s home city.
“The President is always in Davao City and if terrorists want to shame him, they would naturally take Davao City and the neighboring areas as good targets because they can surely get media mileage from their attack”, said Torres, whose brigade headquarters is based in Barangay New Visayas in Santo Tomas, Davao del Norte. He commands around 1,500 Army troopers securing parts of Davao del Norte and Davao City.
He informed Davao del Norte Sangguniang Panlalawigan his brigade’s security plans and programs during their session on Monday.
Asked on the possibility that Islamic terrorists can thrive in the province, Torres replied, “There is a possibility in Davao del Norte, although it is remote.”
He said military forces in the province have been constantly keeping an eye on the migration of internally displaced persons, or the so-called bakwits, from the conflict area of Marawi City and keeping the level of good security of the province right now.
He differentiated the current martial law in Mindanao to Marcos’s martial law, which he reckoned to have a “political purpose”, while the current is addressing a “specific security
problem”.
Board Member Alfredo de Veyra III askedhow the military could check on the possible penetration of bad elements to Cafgu Active Auxiliaries (CAA) considering the usually nonrigid training with short period associated with their recruitment, Torres said they have mechanism to prevent them entering the CAAs while there is a regular Army officer deployed to lead in every CAA battalion or force organized in an area.
He said there are about 900 Cafgu personnel from 37 detachments scattered in 1003rd Raptor Brigade’s area of jurisdiction covering Davao City and Davao del Norte.
He informed the provincial boards his brigade has two Army battalions with around 450 men each, an artillery battery company, an armor company a military intel company, a Civil Military Operation company and a reconnaissance company.
Torres has been in his post yet for two months since he assumed in May 2017.