It’s back to basics for Pinoy soldiers

ZAMBOANGA CITY – The first batch of 300 Filipino soldiers went back to basics at the start yesterday of their 10-month counter-terrorist training under US Special Forces, an official said here yesterday.

Armed only with pen and paper, the American trainers took Filipino soldiers back to the classroom for a refresher course on the rudiments of soldiery.

"Sir, yes, sir!!" the soldiers’ voices reverberated outside the highly fenced training camp being guarded by both US and Filipino sentries at Camp Gen. Arturo Enrile in the rolling hills of Barangay Malagutay, three kilometers west of Armed Forces Southern Command (Southcom) headquarters.

"I am reminding you of that dictum that the more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in war," Southcom chief Lt. Gen. Narciso Abaya said in an opening address to the students.

So intensive is the training that no civilian is allowed to come inside the training site and all soldiers, whether Filipino or American, are inspected before they are allowed in.

Southcom spokesman Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero said all the student-trainees have to be refreshed again in the basic course touching all aspects of soldiery, especially close quarter combat.

Lucero said the field training will come in a few weeks or months later, depending on the type of modules utilized by the US military training instructors.

A ranking military official disclosed that Basilan might again be used for the live fire field training exercise.

Abaya, on the other hand, stressed to the student soldiers to take the basic course seriously and not underestimate its importance.

"The type of instruction ... has been specifically crafted to satisfy the requirements of our security environment. These are the training and instructions that we deem necessary to enhance our fighting skills that would lead us to defeat terrorism," Abaya said.

He also emphasized that the military response to terrorism depends on how prepared the military is to face the threat.

Meanwhile, US Air Force Brig. Gen. Gregory Trebon, special operations chief of the Pacific Command, arrived yesterday in Zamboanga City to look in on his soldiers conducting the training and humanitarian mission.

Abaya however clarified that Trebon’s visit is part of his orientation after being installed last month in place of Maj. Gen. Donald Wurster, who was promoted and is now assigned in Florida.

"His visit has nothing to do with the forthcoming Balikatan 03-1 in Sulu. It is more of courtesy and orientation visit to his forces assigned in Zamboanga City," Abaya said.

But the US military staff here denied requests that Trebon be interviewed or even have video footage taken of him.