The Commander-in-Chief, Armed Forces of the Philippines, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., led the conferment of the Campaign Streamer awards to outstanding military units during the Year-End 2023 Command Conference at the General Headquarters.
AFP units were awarded for successfully dismantling various guerilla fronts in their respective areas of operations and for significantly contributing to the AFP’s overall victory against Communist Terrorist Groups (CTGs).
The Campaign Streamer Awardees during the activity were the JTF TALA; the Philippine Army’s 303Bde, 3ID; 502Bde, 5ID; 503Bde, 5ID; 702Bde, 7ID; 801Bde, 8ID; 54IB, 5ID; 94IB, 3ID; 3IB, 7ID; 5SFBn, 6ID; and 1MechBde, 6ID.
The efforts of the awardees have proven instrumental in the successful campaign of the AFP for lasting peace and security.
VISCOM UNITS BAGGED AFP CAMPAIGN STREAMER AWARDS
Four units under the Visayas Command (VISCOM) were conferred with the prestigious AFP Campaign Streamer Awards for their combat feat and exceptional accomplishment in dismantling the CPP-NPA’s Guerilla Fronts in the Visayas region.
No less than President Marcos, Jr., along with Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. and the Chief of Staff of the AFP, Gen. Romeo Brawner, Jr. conferred the awards, as they recognized the remarkable accomplishment of the units in dealing the CPP-NPA with devastating losses in year-end of 2023.
The AFP Campaign Streamer Awards were conferred to 303rd Infantry Brigade and 94th Infantry Battalion, both of Joint Task Force (JTF) Spear in Western Visayas, and the 801st Infantry Brigade and 3rd Infantry Battalion, both of JTF Storm in Eastern Visayas for their successful feat that significantly contributed to the overall success of the AFP’s campaign in the Visayas region.
Lieutenant General Benedict M Arevalo, the Commander of VISCOM who was present during the awarding ceremony expressed that, “these awards will surely provide a huge boost to the morale of our troops, knowing that their efforts and sacrifices have been recognized by no less than our Commander-In-Chief himself.
“These will motivate our troops on the ground to perform their mandate effectively, as we continue to safeguard the well-being of our people and prevent the CPP-NPA from regaining foothold in the Visayas region,” he said.
It can be recalled that at the end of 2023, all NPA-infested communities in the Visayas region were cleared by VISCOM through its operationally controlled units.
Likewise, the CPP-NPA’s manpower and armed capability have been severely degraded by the government forces which resulted in the dismantling of five guerrilla fronts of the said year. These guerilla fronts include Central Negros 1 of the NPAs Komiteng Rehiyon Negros, Cebu, Bohol and Siquijor (KR NCBS); Front Committee 1 and Front Committee 2 of Sub-Regional Committee Emporium (SRC Emporium); and Front 3 and Front 15 of Sub-Regional Committee Arctic (SRC Arctic).
