TACLOBAN CITY – After more than a month of intensive training, the 117 candidate Special Cafgu Active Auxiliary (SCAA) from Borongan City had finally finished their basic military training on November 23.
Citizen Armed Force Geographical Forces (Cafgu) Active Auxiliary (CAA) is a paramilitary unit composed of volunteer reservists organized into companies of personnel that are led by regular troops.
The 45 days of intensive training aims to develop their stamina, attitude, and skills required prior to their dispatch in the different communities in Borongan City
Present during the graduation ceremony were Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda as the guest of honor and speaker; Brigadier General Camilo Ligayo, commanding officer of the 801st Infantry Brigade; and Lieutenant Colonel Oliver Alvior, commanding officer of the 78th Infantry Battalion.
About 100 of the trainees were from Borongan City while the rest were from other parts of Eastern Samar.
Mayor Agda, in his message, said that the establishment of Cafgu in the city is essential for the attainment and in the maintaining of peace and development of the city.
“It gives confidence to the LGU and the people of Borongan City to uplift its constituents’ lives,” Agda said.
The mayor also extends the city’s gratitude to the Philippine Army for ensuring the completion of the CAA-II Basic Military Training, which he agreed on the new CAAs will serve as an added safeguard for the Boronganons against the NPA atrocities.
The city government will provide each Cafgu P6,500 monthly allowance during their deployment in the villages of Amantacop, San Mateo, and Canyupay.
In 2019, the city experience two NPA related incidents, one happened in the upland village of Pinanag-an where six soldiers were killed and 20 others are wounded while the other happened in the village of Libuton, where landmine was used by the communist group to attack personnel of the Philippine National Police.
A policeman and a civilian were killed in the incident.
Meanwhile, BGen Ligayo, expressed his heartfelt appreciation to the city government for its achievements in the various program for peace in partnership with the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
He also added that the establishment of Cafgu in the city is to maintain peace and help develop the community and thwart the possible atrocities of the rebels that could hinder the development of Borongan City. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)