Army readies new defense brigade as troops return from BARMM deployment

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The last of the four battalions of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division (ID) deployed to help secure the historic Bangsamoro parliamentary elections on Sept. 14 had returned to its home base, clearing the way for the military to shift gears toward territorial defense.

In an email to the Inquirer on Sunday, Maj. Ruben Gadut, 10ID Public Affairs Office head, said the return of the 67th Infantry Battalion marked the final phase of the division’s recall from Western Mindanao, setting into motion plans to form a dedicated Territorial Defense Operations (TDO) Brigade by 2027.

Maj. Gen. Alvin Luzon, 10ID commander, pinned the Military Merit Medal on returning soldiers during welcome rites at the battalion’s headquarters in Barangay Salingcomot, Baganga, Davao Oriental, on Thursday, Oct. 22.

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Luzon commended the unit, led by Lt. Col. Noe Venancio Baluyan Jr., for maintaining order during the Sept. 14 parliamentary elections across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

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The battalion was deployed alongside other security forces under the Western Mindanao Command to help deter poll violence during the region’s landmark political exercise.

With all four deployed battalions back in eastern Mindanao, the division is now pivoting to broader strategic postures, including external security under the military’s Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Operations framework, while maintaining hard-won counterinsurgency gains.

“Your return gives the division greater flexibility in employing its forces to meet evolving operational requirements,” Luzon told the troops. “Carry forward the lessons of this deployment and remain steadfast in fulfilling the mission entrusted to you.” /mcm