Marines to use K9 units in Mindanao

By: Elena L Aben, Manila Bulletin

Saturday, 04 September 2010

To help track down foes during combat operations,
the Philippine Marines will use 12 specially-
trained dogs to Mindanao, a Navy spokesman
said yesterday.

Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo, Navy Public Affairs
Office director, said demonstration of the
dog's capabilities in combat tracking operations
will be held on Monday at the Naval Station
Jose Francisco in Ft. Bonifacio, Taguig.

Rear Admiral Danilo Cortez, Navy flag
officer-in-command, Brig. Gen.Rustico Guerrero,
Marine Corps commandant, will witness the
event which precedes the send-off ceremony for
the Marine Drum and Bugle Team which will
fly to Gangwan-do, South Korea for the Wonju
Tattoo 2010 Music Festival.

According to Arevalo, the use K-9 dogs
will enhance the Marines' security operations,
specially in Southern Philippines where
government troops have to deal with members
of the Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG)
and other enemies of the state.

"What happens usually is that every time
there's an encounter, we often read (in the
news) the enemy withdrew towards a direction
and then bloodstains were all over the place
indicating there were casualties on the enemy
side," Arevalo said.

He said that while the miltary now wants
to get rid of the body count syndrome,the
recovery of firearms and physical count of
enemies, whether dead or wounded, remains
the measure of success of combat operations.