Army activates 7 add’l battalions; 3 more to follow

In an effort to beef up its operations, the Philippine Army has activated seven new infantry battalions and will activate three more in the coming weeks.

"To beef up our ground operations, seven out of the additional 10 infantry battalions have been activated," said Army chief Lieutenant General Rolando Joselito Bautista during the Army's 121st founding anniversary in Fort Andres Bonifacio on Tuesday.

"The remaining three shall be activated in the second quarter of this year."

Bautista said the 5th Scout Ranger Battalion and the 500th Engineer Combat Battalion were likewise activated.

The Army earlier approved the opening of 3,600 slots for the annual regular quota and an additional 2,500 slots for 2018. Out of the 6,100 recruitment slots opened, 5 percent will be allocated for female recruits while another 5 percent will be for indigenous people.

The additional recruits will be "filling up the troop requirements for the conceptualized activation of 10 new infantry battalions and one Scout Ranger Battalion," the Army said.

Award

Meanwhile, Bautista said the Army has also improved its standing with the rest of the world as it has been inducted in the Palladium Balanced Scorecard Hall of Fame on March 14 for its capability on effective strategy execution.

"This award shows that we are on target, in so far as the Army transformation road map is concerned, and are on the right path towards professionalizing the service," he said.

"The Philippine Army is the sixth institution in the country to receive this coveted award."

The Army said the Palladium Balanced Scorecard Hall of Fame for executing strategy "publicly recognizes organizations that have successfully executed their strategies and achived breakthrough results through the use of Kaplan and Norton's strategy management system."

It added that the recognizing body is regarded as the "gold standard for strategic performance management" as it has inducted more than 200 organizations worldwide.

In line with the "warfighting competency" of the troops, Bautista said that more than 700 squad-level training activities and 12,800 individual training programs were conducted to enhance the Army's capability.

"Furthermore, 24 allied countries provided training programs and military courses, that contributed to the professional development of our personnel," he added.

Benefit claims

Aside from this, Bautista, during his speech, said the Army has added an "express lane" for the quick processing of benefit claims which he said has so far decreased the length of time for processing from one to two months and the number of documents required from 25 to four.

About 300 families of Army soldiers who were killed in action were given special financial assistance while troops who were wounded in action have "underwent the proper treatment required for their respective injuries and stress debriefing."

"The need for better delivery and improvement in the quality of our health care services, has been addressed by the over P117 million worth of medical items and equipment that were programmed and procured, for delivery to the army treatment facilities," he added.

While the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency have been relentless in their anti-illegal drug campaign and internal cleansing, the Army also has its share in the campaign as 28,811 personnel underwent random mandatory drug testing.

"In support of the anti-drug campaign of the government, the Philippine Army continues to ensure one and all, that it remains a drug-free organization," Bautista said. —KBK, GMA News