Army Officials: 4th Infantry Division retains full capability to counter communist threat

The Philippine Army’s 4th Infantry “Diamond” Division retains its full capability to deal with any internal security threat.

Brig. Gen. Artemio R. Arugay, assistant division commander, told media in a press conference last week that the 4th division’s 404th Infantry Brigade with five battalions numbering around 2,000 men were recently absorbed into the newly created 10th Infantry Division based in the Davao area.

However, he said the Diamond Division retains its capability to curb the insurgency.

We are operating on a table of organization which allows us a ceiling quota for our personnel,”Arugay said. “Now we are recruiting 200 candidate soldiers to replace the 2,000 we lost to the 10th ID and eventually we will replace the personnel which went to the 10th division.|”

Despite this reduction in numbers, however, Arugay said the 4ID has been performing well.

We have gained significant results from our operations with insignificant casualties, and we can meet our objectives with our available forces,” he added. “People within the 4ID area of responsibility have been cooperating very well with us including leaders and people in the local government units and national government agencies.”

The realignment of army forces in Mindanao stemmed from the order of President Arroyo last August to divide the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Southern Command based in Zamboanga City into two unified commands.

The President said the division of the Southern Command into two unified commands and the revival of the office handling civil military operations in Mindanao were among the reforms in the military recommended by former AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Generoso Senga.

But we will go beyond that, we will divide the Southern Command into two unified commands for more effective troop management and control," she said.

Arugay said the division of Southcom into the WESTMINCOM and EASTMINCOM had to do with vastness of Mindanao and the type of threat posed against the government in the two areas.

WESTMINCOM in Southern Philippines faced the Moro secessionist movement and would focus operations to neutralize this threat while the EASTMINCOM three infantry divisions (4th, 6th and 10th) would focus more on the CPP-NPA-NDF.

We receive equal treatment in terms of logistics, equal status is area commands, although we have some differences in the nature of the threats we have to deal with (ASG/MILF in WESTMINCOM and CPP-NPA-NDF in EASTMINCOM).

Besides the three infantry division, EASTMINCOM includes the NAVFOREAST of the Philippine Navy and the TOG 10 and 11 of the Philippine Air Force. It is commanded by Maj. Gen. Rodolfo Obaniana.

The Diamond Division has seven infantry battalions, one field artillery battalion and three reconnaissance companies of 100 men each. Each battalion has 500 men of which 85 percent are combatants and 15 percent administrative and support personnel

An attached unit is the 5th Light Armored Battalion from the Light Armored Brigade under Lt. Col. Gener del Rosario which include in its complement the United Defense Armored Infantry Fighting Vehicle (based on the M113 Armored Personnel Carrier) and Cadillac-Gage V150 Commando light armored vehicle (both made in the U.S.), and the British-made GKN Simba armored personnel vehicle specifically designed for the Philippines.

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