BCDA Collective | Issue 3 2018

HEROES
“Walang gagalawin! (No one is to be
harmed!)”
As the leader, he made sure that his unit
extended all the help they can give to the
NPA families, despite being the hostile
audience. To get help and rescue them from
the clutches of NPA terrorists, the unit had
to bring them down the mountains.
The way down the mountains took
them days. The troops provided the
families temporary shelter. Immediately,
government agencies began to arrive
according them health care and proper
nutrition. News on the attention and the
aid given to the rebels’ families spread out
quickly. Pleas and testimonials of the saved
families were heard over the radio. Soon
enough, their NPA relatives in hiding, found
their way down the mountains to surrender.
“Insurgency is not for the military alone
to solve. The root causes of insurgency
are poverty, lack of education, injustice,
malgovernance, etc. They (rebels) were
misinformed and coerced and even
brainwashed by their leaders to believe that
they will be killed by government forces if
they give up their firearms and return to
government fold. They are all victims.”
He stressed: “Paano na sila kapag lisanin
namin ang lugar?”
He saw that the “whole of government” or
the “whole of nation” approach was the
solution.
Indeed, this experience in Samar had the
greatest impact in his life and equipped the
young Burgos to seek a holistic approach
in ending insurgency in the countryside.
Addressing insurgency requires the
convergence of efforts of all stakeholders
and enhanced inter-agency coordination.
The climb
Fast forward to today, that lieutenant is now
a household name in the Armed Forces of
the Philippines (AFP).
Brigadier General Burgos, was the
former AFP Public Affairs Chief and AFP
Spokesperson, holding post on March
10, 2010. He held this position for more
than three years—serving the longest and
spanning five AFP Chiefs of Staff. After
this, he commanded the Civil Military
Operations (CMO) Group of the Philippine
Army and later on, became the Army’s
Assistant Chief of Staff for CMO, G7.
Now, he is the Commander of the 202nd
Infantry (Unifier) Brigade, 2nd Infantry
(Jungle Fighter) Division of the Philippine
Army. The Unifier Brigade, while
under his helm, was recognized for two
consecutive years as the Best Infantry
Brigade in Southern Tagalog and Infantry
Brigade of the Year in Southern Luzon.
They are tasked to secure the vast area of
CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas,
Rizal and Quezon).
Back in 2008, he also commanded the 80th
Infantry Batallion at Occidental Mindoro,
where he ably led the unit to be adjudged
as the best maneuver battalion in Southern
Tagalog.
He asserts: “In any given situation, in any
position that you hold, you can always make
a difference. Everything you do must be
driven by a purpose.”
BGen Burgos shares his principle in life-
-summarized in “three Ps”: Passion,
Patience and Perseverance.
“I always innovate. I desire for continuous
improvement and progressive changes. I
make it a point to uplift standards. It should
be beyond than the usual. Positive and
meaningful change. Hindi paurong.”
World-class Filipino
In his military career, BGen Burgos has
served the United Nations (UN) as Executive
Assistant to the Force Commander in East
Timor in 2000 and as Military Adviser to the
20 COLLECTIVE