Siniloan, Quezon Province, The Philippines, 30 August 2014.  2ID is also known as  the “Jungle Fighter Division”, tracing its origin to the 2nd military area assigned in Southern Tagalog and Bicol Region including Palawan. It was one of the four military areas in the country with its fighting arm, the 2nd battalion combat team.

As part of FEED’s regular tree-planting activities under the “Living Legacy: Plant a Tree, FEED Our Future“, within the auspices of its Tri-Party MOU signed with the Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry Division (2ID) and the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), today’s tree planting of 300 native indigenous Philippine wood species were planted at the Sierra Madre mountains in Siniloan, Quezon Province – with the generous support of 30 volunteers from the 2nd ID and a joint team of UPLB and FEED.

As the only “Jungle Fighter” Division in the AFP, the 2ID is the quintessence of dedicated labor for God and country. Its trait of being people-oriented and its capacity for self-giving is beyond question. Whether in the jungle of war or in the mainstream jungle of peace, the 2ID is there as the source of help for those in trouble. There is no jungle that it cannot penetrate and no sorrow so real that it cannot console. To the people of the area of responsibility, the Jungle Fighter is an effective and useful warrior of life, a forerunner of new hopes and new opportunities for a better tomorrow.

When asked what his other duties were other than the Philippine Army’s mission being to help green the country while off-operations duty, Officer in Charge (OIC) Lt Colonel De La Rosa said: “We patrol the various Philippine mountain ranges to ensure the safety of our citizens, sometimes diffusing bombs, risking our lives to de-activate hostilities and other threats to our citizens”. No one really speaks about these dangers in the papers, but the realities of our soldiers and their responsibilities are huge, literally, life altering.

FEED Director and Professor Emeritus at UPLB, Dra. Cion Raymundo replied: “We need to reach out to more of the private sector and the general public at large, who remain unaware of their role. As well as the role of the Land Grant Management Office (LGMO) of the UPLB, led by Ben Arizala. These brave people risk their lives every day for our safety.”

Four of FEED’s UPLB thesis scholars joined us as part of their community service, excited about the idea of doing the one hour trek through the Sierra Madre and with the AFP.

Contact info@feed.org.ph for more information on how to get involved.