BASILAN, Philippines — The Philippine Army conducted rifle training for local peacekeeping volunteers in the southern town of Ungkaya Pukan, Basilan, as part of efforts to boost grassroots defense against armed threats and lawlessness in conflict-prone areas.
Members of the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Teams (BPATs) from Bohe Pahu and Materling villages took part in a live-fire exercise under the supervision of soldiers from the 45th Infantry Battalion, part of the Army’s 11th Infantry Division.
The drill, part of the Army’s Barangay Defense System (BDS) enhancement program, aimed to improve the volunteers’ marksmanship and discipline in firearm handling, the military said in a statement. Local officials Mujiv Pangamdas and Dahwan S. Kumban led their respective teams during the activity.
BPATs are community-based security groups composed of civilian volunteers who assist in maintaining peace and order in barangays (villages). In restive provinces like Basilan, where past insurgent activity and clan conflicts have disrupted stability, authorities have tapped such groups as force multipliers alongside police and military forces.
The training highlights ongoing military and local government collaboration to build what the Army described as “resilient and self-reliant” community defense units capable of responding to security challenges.
The 11th Infantry Division, headquartered in Jolo, Sulu, is tasked with counterterrorism operations in western Mindanao, including Basilan, an island province that was once a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf Group, a militant faction linked to bombings and kidnappings in past decades.