"Although we can take care of our security, still there are instances when we need the assistance of Army units. We have to tighten security along the supply routes and within project sites," said Col. Fred Castro, chief of the Army’s 55th Engineering Brigade.
Castro said the military engineering brigades are non-combatant units tasked to carry out important infrastructure projects in areas where private contractors shy away from.
"The presence of rebel or dissident groups usually discourage private contractors from taking the projects, and that is when we come in," he said.
Castro said Army engineering brigades are usually assigned to critical areas where infrastructure projects are needed to deliver government services to constituents of remote and far-flung communities.
He said they consider Ma—guindanao as the most critical place in Mindanao, "although we still consider the other areas equally critical."
At present, Castro’s unit is implementing seven vital road projects, costing over P75 million, in Mindanao.