BCDA Collective | Issue 3 2018

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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
HEROES UN Chief of Mission in South Sudan, Africa in 2006 and 2007. “Doon ko nakita na world-class tayong mga Filipinos. May mga Filipino peacekeepers doon and staff ng UN. In the international arena, Filipinos excel among other nationalities of the world. Ang galing ng Pinoy. I’m really proud to be Filipino.” It was in South Sudan, Africa where he worked as a military observer and at the same time, a UN Staff. Working for the UN was truly rewarding as the then younger Burgos was able to make a meaningful contribution to the United Nations. BGen Burgos cited his expertise in internal security operations as key to being selected to handle this vital position. His exposure to the problem of insurgency in the country prepared him for such a task. Crucial to this assignment was our English-speaking abilities and people skills. Bayanihan is key “Pinakamahirap mamatayan ng sundalo. Una, kasamahan mo yan. Pangalawa, di ko matanggap kasi kapwa Pilipino ang nagpapatayan.” He deeply laments this and finds it unacceptable—prompting him to choose his field. “Communication is where I see the solution.” He emphasizes: “You can never go wrong with bayanihan! We need networking with civilians, the local government units (LGUs), the non-government units (NGOs). We need to communicate, cooperate and collaborate early on. Di yan matatatapos kapag nakapatay ka ng kalaban. May family yan eh. You are not presenting a solution to the problem but aggravating it further.” He stresses that soldiers desire for peace more than anyone. They are the first casualties of war, after all. They want peace so that they can focus on external defense. His expertise in engagement and civil military operations did not escape recognition. Among his awards are four Distinguished Service Star Medals; three Outstanding Achievement Medals; a Bronze Cross Medal; two Meritorious Achievement Medals; and dozens of Military Merit and Commendation Medals. COLLECTIVE 21
Page 2 and 3: COLLECTIVE is a quarterly publicati
Page 4 and 5: It’s amazing what you can do when
Page 6 and 7: NEW CLARK CITY CLARK GLOBAL CITY CL
Page 8 and 9: 8 COLLECTIVE
Page 10 and 11: NEWS Render from: Budji + Royal gol
Page 12 and 13: NEWS NEWS 200k jobs eyed with New C
Page 14 and 15: SMART NEWS CITIES Enhancing mobilit
Page 16 and 17: NEWS TRAVEL Eat, Sleep, Relax, Repe
Page 18 and 19: TRAVEL Clark photo from: HikersBay
Page 22 and 23: HEROES History would celebrate batt
Page 24 and 25: LOCATORS The same principle is what
Page 26 and 27: FREEPORTS AND ECOZONES A BRIEF HIST
Page 28 and 29: FREEPORTS AND ECOZONES Saving the l
Page 30 and 31: FREEPORTS AND ECOZONES Therapy in t
Page 32: FORT STOTSENBURG This historical la

BCDA Collective | Issue 3 2018

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