PAGADIAN CITY (PIA) – To sustain the gains of its Multi-Sectoral Advisory Board (MSAB), the first infantry “Tabak” Division (1ID) intends to maintain its partnership with its individual members following its deactivation recently.
This comes after the Philippine Army recently ordered the deactivation of all Multi-Sectoral Advisory Boards (MSAB) nationwide.
“We will seek their advice from time to time as we build on the gained wisdom from the MSAB to capacitate this command in both traditional and non-traditional military functions so that we can bring lasting peace for the people in our area of responsibility,” Maj. Gen Gabriel C. Viray III, commander of the 1st Infantry Division, said.
The MSAB is a volunteer support group composed of individuals from different sectors of society. It provides advise to Army units as it pursues continuity and sustainment of the Army Transformation Roadmap (ATR) which envisions the military to become world-class, multi-mission ready, and cross-domain capable.
The MSAB was formed on May 2, 2014, when the 1ID along with the whole Philippine Army was gaining headway in its transformation journey. At that time the 1ID experienced significant cases of military adventurism, and human rights issues, and was prone to the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) Terrorist propaganda.
Likewise, personnel from this division were also prone to harassment suits and controversies of land ownership was also common; hence, the MSAB was organized to assist this division in addressing the said issues through interagency and stakeholder collaborations, ensuring not only the resolution of identified issues but also the capacitation of the 1ID to settle similar or other perceived issues on its own.
Since 2014, the 1ID, Philippine Army now has evolved, from being reactive and inefficient, it has become strategy-driven in terms of its systems and processes; from being barely capable in terms of cohesion, it has become fully mission-capable or multi-mission ready and cross domain capable; and from having a bad image and poorly equipped in terms of its public image, it has become an ethical, competent, and professional defense force with a consistently high acceptance rating of all government agencies.
Further, some of the accomplishments and best practices of the unit backed by the MSAB includes the elevation of the 1ID Governance Pathway status to Institutionalized level with “Gold Trailblazer Award” which is the highest transformation distinction. The advisory board also helps to increase and sustain the approval rating of 1ID.
Through their inputs and guidance, 1ID has successfully implemented various program strategies such as the aerial seeding for environmental protection, sweet water coconut tree growing as livelihood program for army retirees, assistance on the titling of military reservations, camps and facilities; and free legal counsel and advices in relation to the conduct of the unit’s operations; support on the sustainment of the unit’s mental health programs and in sustaining the peace efforts between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) as well as with the law enforcement agencies in the Lanao Provinces.
Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Regional Office head Noemi B. Edaga pledged to continuously support the initiatives of the Army and use the power of information to transform and empower communities.
“Endeavors of cooperation with the Philippine Army remains a commitment towards progress and development. The MSAB deactivation is not affective of this,” Edaga said.
Moving forward, in terms of peace-building initiatives, the command intends to maintain the current momentum by consolidating and utilizing all lessons learned from their transformation journey.
In terms of the plight of IPs or indigenous people in some of the provinces in the command’s area of responsibility, the 1ID, as part of the task force to end local communist armed conflict (TF-ELCAC) will also pursue with their initiated programs to resolve issues that causes IP groups to be vulnerable to recruitment by insurgents, more particularly the CPP-NPA. They will continue to collaborate with the local government units so that IP issues will be communicated to the latter and that sustainable solutions can be implemented.
In his message during the MSAB’s final meeting, Viray thanked its members for their unwavering commitment and guidance, which promoted transparency and accountability of the command.
“Your legacy lives on in the transformative strides we have made together. We eagerly anticipate continued collaboration with all of you. The doors of Tabak are always open should you wish to impart wisdom, share experiences, or contribute to our ongoing journey. Your insights are always welcome,” he said. (RVC/EDT/CCP/PIA9)
