CHANGING CHALLENGES INTO OPPORTUNITIES
By: LTC MEDARDO F CLARITO CE (GSC) PA Commanding Officer, 564 ECB


(As a value added project, 564 ECB had included the construction of comfort rooms and flag pole for the school hence, the Philippine Flag is now hoisted and is proudly overseeing the whole town of Lopez )

Surrender is not an option for soldiers. They simply retrograde, regroup and attack again at any opportune time. But there are times that even Mother Nature challenges their resoluteness and put into test their determination to accomplish the mandated mission.

The Team Army Engineers had the option to realign project funds to a more advantageous and convenient projects, areas or setting. However, they did not do so because it would make them no different from any individuals who serve for the purpose of profit. The challenge of completing the projects at risk areas such as that in “MAGULO Complex” is a great opportunity –the way engineers see it – for them to prove that the government through its working arm in the countryside, the army engineers, reaches out to even the remotest and isolated part of the Southern Tagalog such as in: barangays of Sta Elena, Ilayang Ilog A, Ilayang Ilog B and Villanacaob, all in Municipality of Lopez, Quezon. Necessarily, they use horse-powers (utilizing horses) to carry all the construction materials to respective project sites, and traversing the long and winding rivers in the area. Piece-by-piece the construction materials, reinforcing bars, gravels, sands, bags of cement, wood, tie wires and yes, even common wire nails, have to be brought up from the drop point in poblacion to these barangays. On top of these challenges, the “MAGULO Complex” is the mass base of the CTM where risk of an enemy attack may take place anytime where the Army Engineers are performing undaunting service to the barangays –“MAGULO complex” doesn’t mean chaos that tagalong translation of the word mean, but an acronym for the municipalities of Macalelon, Gumaca and Lopez, in Quezon Province.

The Alpha Company under the leadership of its company commander 1LT DERMAN L IMPAS (CE) PA which is stationed in Barangay San Pedro, Lopez, Quezon, is implementing KBP Projects in this complex. The recipient barangays of the projects are within the centro-de-gravidad of the KLG 42 Guerilla Base.

These projects started sometime in CY 2008, through Kalayaan Barangays Program. Since then, due to various problems that attacked the projects, implementations were so slow that completion seemed impossible. Until engineers adopted all ways and means, to include utilization of horses, which eventually made their completion attainable. Slowly but surely, all construction materials were transported and reached their target destinations, heavy equipment were mobilized and able to negotiate the herculean job of earth moving, and even conducted quarry operations along its long and winding river –the place is abundantly blessed with natural resources whose potential remains untapped due to lack of access road. The persistent and relentless effort of the Army engineers to unravel the problem amidst bad weather that hinder to operations, unending sacrifices in transporting construction materials and escalation of prices of fuel and construction materials which directly affected and eventually resulted crisis of dwindling funds are little-by-little gaining positive results.

As a value added project, the engineers had included the construction of comfort rooms and flag pole for the school hence, the Philippine Flag is now hoisted and is proudly overseeing the whole town of Lopez.

Thus, KBP Projects in Lopez, Quezon are coming to near completion. The school buildings stand proud in their respective places, ready to accommodate incoming students. The completion of the farm-to-roads shall surely welcome new opportunities and sustainable development for the localities.

These challenges poised before are no longer a problem but an opportunity to be exploited in the furtherance of peace and development. Once again, the government has shown a tangible proof of its sincerity in delivering basic services to the countryside. Moreover, the Army Engineers had likewise contributed a lasting mark to the populace that won their hearts and mind, a sophisticated means of defeating the enemy without firing a single shot.

Laying the foundation of progress and providing peace and development to countrymen, THAT’S THE WAY, TEAM ARMY ENGINEERS’ FIGHT!