Army engineers build 24 Schools for Bohol in '09 IN places where government projects to be implemented find no takers, call on the 53rd Army Engineers. Fulfilling its mandates in implementing peace and development projects hand in hand with its counterparts active internal security operations, the Bohol based 53rd Engineer Battalion of the Philippine Army has erected 24-two classroom school buildings this year as they waged another kind of war, not with fire-arms. Surprising many communities with their construction skills, uniformed men under the unit get to far-flung communities brandishing tools of infrastructure development and not fire-arms. "When we are tasked with the mission of implementing a project that no private contractor is willing to risk, we put all our resources and our men's lives on the line, all for the cause of peace and development," said LtCol. Ramon Ruiz, commander of the Cabulijan Tubigon based engineering support battalion. He claims his army unit undertakes basic infrastructure works as construction of school buildings, health centers, farm to market roads, bridges, electrification projects, water system facilities and other utilities in support of the government's development program, but does not compete with the private contractors. "Projects, which private contractors find unattractive could not just be left unimplemented," he stressed. Projects that are out in far-flung areas often inaccessible to transport or which expose many private contractor's assets to risk drop into the army engineers' laps. |
Feel safer online. Upgrade to the new, safer Internet Explorer 8 optimized for Yahoo! to put your mind at peace. It's free.
Get IE8 here!