BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
After almost four years of assignment in Lanao del Sur, Mindanao, the 82nd Infantry Battalion of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division is back in the Visayas.
The 82IB, that was deployed to Mindanao to help in the liberation of Marawi from the occupation of a local Islamic militant group on June 17, 2017, will have Cebu and Siquijor as their areas of assignment.
A battalion-sized Army unit is composed of about 500 enlisted personnel and officers.
Maj. Gen. Eric Vinoya, 3ID commander, welcomed the return of the 82IB to the Visayas region and urged the troops to maintain organizational discipline and teamwork.
Vinoya said that the 82IB will help in maintaining the peace and order situation in Cebu and Siquijor island, and addressing all forms of threats in those areas.
Five of the eight Army battalions under the supervision of the 3ID are presently deployed in Negros Island, with one each in Panay, Bohol, and Cebu-Siquijor.
The 82IB was used to be assigned in Panay, following its deployment in Mindanao, together with the 15th and 11th IBs presently in the Negros Island.*
