All-women Army unit hits Bukidnon NPA lair
DAVAO CITY—The Army command in Bukidnon on Thursday declared a combat breakthrough—one of many it needed—in an effort to wipe out the presence of communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels along the province’s border with Agusan del Sur.
This came after a special team entered a once-forward camp of the guerrillas in the hinterlands of Sitio Bendum, Barangay Busdi in Malaybalay City and unearthed a cache of firearms on Tuesday.
Recovered from the site were two 7.62mm CZ 858 tactical rifles, one 7.62mm M14 rifle, one 5.56mm M4 rifle, and one barrel of an M16A1 rifle.
The operation was carried out by an all-women unit of the Army’s First Special Forces Battalion.
Dubbed Special Forces Team 16 “Maya,” the unit is led by Capt. Cristy Timtim and two other female officers, 1Lt. Divine Grace Rodriguez and 2Lt. Leslie Calunsag, with four enlisted personnel and one CAFGU Civilian Active Auxiliary (CAA).
The soldiers’ breach into the area, which is within the tactically challenging Pantaron mountain range, is a significant inroad into the fringes of the few remaining NPA bastions in Mindanao.
‘Vital role’
“This area is considered a major stronghold and sanctuary of the North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC) of the NPA, strategically located along the hinterland boundary of Bukidnon and Agusan del Sur,” Lt. Col. Emil Bautista, commanding officer of the First Special Forces Battalion, told the Inquirer.
Bautista said the deployment of the all-women combat team “underscores the growing and vital role of women in front-line combat and security operations.”
He added that the “successful execution” of the mission highlighted not only operational effectiveness but also “resilience, discipline and combat readiness in a challenging and high-risk environment.”
“We are exposing female soldiers to combat operations in that area where our current focused military operations are ongoing,” said Major Gen. Michele Anayron, commander of the 4th Infantry Division, in a separate interview.
Anayron said the Pantaron area hosts the NCMRC leadership, hence there is a significant concentration of the rebel group’s fighters.
Gender equality
According to Bautista, Team Maya is a major part of battalion-led operations against the remnants of the NCMRC, currently led by a certain Julia Cagadas, alias “Rheda” and “Kayuka,” as regional secretary.
Bautista recalled that the unit provided “essential support personnel” during the search and recovery operations for the crashed Air Force fighter jet in Mt. Kalatungan last year. It has since become “the primary support unit during our combat operations,” Bautista added.
“This accomplishment further reflects the Philippine Army’s commitment to gender equality and the integration of women into critical combat and leadership roles, strengthening operational effectiveness across all units,” Bautista said.
He noted that such a combat team is a first in the Army.
