DEFENSE Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr., arriving early yesterday, said he has assured the UN it will send a 336-strong peacekeeping battalion to the Golan Heights in Syria to help the world body keep the peace in the conflict area.
Briefing the media upon his arrival at the NAIA, Teodoro said he assured UN Undersecretary for Peacekeeping Alain Le Roy of continuing Philippine commitment to UN peace-keeping missions during the former’s visit at the UN headquarters in New York City late last week.
“It is a great honor for the Philippines to be given the opportunity to participate in United Nations peacekeeping operations,” Teodoro said. “Despite our own constraints and requirements, we can be expected to continue to fulfill our obligations as a responsible and reliable troop-contributing country.”
Teodoro also revealed that he met with Ambassador Hilario G. Davide, Jr., Philippine Permanent Representative to the UN, during his UN visit that capped his six-day official mission to the United States.
Earlier in Washington, DC, Teodoro held talks with US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, setting the course for a stronger RP-US security alliance and defense engagement and cooperation, which Teodoro said is moving to a “high gear.”
The two leaders acknowledged the clear and present danger posed by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG)-Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and MILF rogue elements in Southern Mindanao. Teodoro stressed, however, that the Philippine government has significantly weakened the ASG, the Armed Forces troops having captured a major ASG training camp after recent clashes with the terrorist group in Southern Philippines.
Teodoro also reported that the 1st Philippine battalion to the Golan Heights will start deploying at the end of this month beginning with a 12-man advance party. The entire contingent is expected to be on the ground and take over the peacekeeping responsibilities of the Polish Battalion in the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) mission area before the end of October.
Teodoro said the Philippines is looking forward to its participation in the UNDOF in the Golan Heights, which Manila considers to be its biggest and most challenging mission since it took part in UN operations in Timor Leste almost a decade ago.
“The UNDOF is a big step forward for the Philippines and is a mark of confidence in the country’s ability to send larger units to support UN peacekeeping operations abroad,” Teodoro said.
Teodoro said he assured Le Roy the Philippines will strictly enforce a zero-tolerance policy against misconduct and select only the best personnel for the mission. He said he will also look into how to increase the number of female personnel for deployment overseas.
For his part, Undersecretary General Le Roy expressed his gratitude for Philippine contributions and the important role Filipino peacekeepers play in helping the UN bring peace and stability in conflict areas across the globe, specifically in Haiti, Liberia and Timor Leste. He said the United Nations is looking forward to more contributions from the Philippines in the future.
The Philippines has gone a long way since it first participated in UN peacekeeping operations with the deployment of an Air Force squadron in the Congo in the 1960s, Davide, who gave Teodoro a warm welcome, told the Defense secretary.
Since then, Manila has contributed military and police personnel to UN missions in Cambodia, Burundi, Georgia, Haiti, Iraq, Kosovo and Nepal.
At present, the Philippines is the 29th largest troop contributor to UN peace operations with a total of 611 Filipino peacekeepers, made up of 295 troops, 22 military observers and 294 police officers serving in Afghanistan, Cote d’ Ivoire, Darfur, Haiti, Liberia, Sudan and Timor Leste..
The number does not include the three military officers who were sent this month to serve with the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) in the disputed Kashmir region.
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