MAJOR General Noel S. Clement, commander of the 10th Infantry Division and an adopted member of the local indigenous people (IP) community through a resolution by the Supreme Tribal Council for Peace and Development, congratulates the 300 IPs who graduated on Dec. 17 from their eight-week basic military training and are now part of the Philippine army. “These IP companies will be augmented by officers and enlisted personnel preferably IP or at least from the same province who know the customs and tradition in the area. For purposes of distinction, the companies will be called SMART companies. It means that an IP SMART Company is capable of multi-role such as doing civil-military work while very much ready to use force when necessary,” Mr. Clement said.
