The 8th Infantry Division, Philippine Army, known officially as the Storm Trooper Division, is one of the

Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) () is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare. , it had an estimated strength of 143,100 soldiers The service branch was established on December ...

Infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

units in the Visayas and under the AFP Central Command, combating local communist insurgent units, and terrorists.

History

The division was established on August 1, 1988, with headquarters at Camp General Vicente Lukban,

Catbalogan Catbalogan, officially the City of Catbalogan (; ), is a component city and capital city of the province of Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 106,440 people. It is Samar's main commercial, trading, educa ...

Samar Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...

. The local government soldiers and officers under the 8th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army was sending the combat operations in the Visayas region and the engagements of the Anti-Communist Operations and helping aided and supported of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police and the CAFGU militia forces against the communist rebels of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) and other local criminal elements. During the

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...

in the Philippines under the War on Terrorism and the Islamic Insurgency in Mindanao, Southern Philippines. The local government troops of the Philippine Army 8th Infantry "Storm Trooper" Division was sending the clearing combat operations in Mindanao on Southern Philippines and the engagements of the Anti-Islamic and Counter-Terrorism operations and helping aided and supporting of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, the CAFGU militia forces and the U.S. Armed Forces to fought against the Islamic rebels and bandits of the

Moro Islamic Liberation Front The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF; ) is an Islamist group based in Mindanao, Philippines, which sought an autonomous region of the Moro people from the central government. The group has a presence in the Bangsamoro region of Mindanao, t ...

(MILF),

Moro National Liberation Front The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF; ) is a political organization in the Philippines that was founded in 1972. It started as a splinter group of the Muslim Independence Movement. The MNLF was the organization most active in the Moro conf ...

(MNLF) and

Abu Sayyaf Abu Sayyaf (; , ASG), officially known by the Islamic State as the Islamic State – East Asia Province, was a Jihadist militant and piracy, pirate group that followed the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. It was based in and around Jolo and B ...

Group (ASG) and other local criminal elements.

Mission

President Rodrigo Duterte poses with the 8th Infantry Division troops 080816

The 8th Infantry (Storm Trooper) Division, Philippine Army often conducts Internal Security Operations (ISO) in their Area of Responsibility (AOR) to dismantle and destroy the remaining guerrilla fronts of the Local Communist Movement (LCM) in order to attain peace and stability conducive to sustainable development in assisting the Philippine government in its socio-economic development projects; and assists the

Philippine National Police The Philippine National Police (PNP; ) is the national police force of the Philippines. Its national headquarters is located at Camp Crame in Bagong Lipunan ng Crame, Quezon City. Currently, it has approximately 228,000 personnel to police a pop ...

curb criminality in the Visayas Region.

Lineage of Commanding Officers

* BGen. Isagani T. Delos Santos, PA – ''(26 May 1986 – 31 March 1988)'' * BGen. Federico E. Ruiz Jr., PA – ''(31 March 1988 – 27 March 1990)'' * BGen. Romulo F. Yap, PA – ''(27 March 1990 – 10 January 1992)'' * BGen. Ruperto A. Ambil, PA – ''(10 June 1992 – 12 April 1994)'' * BGen. Danilo P. Olay, PA – ''(12 March 1994 – 15 March 1996)'' * BGen. Romeo B. Tarrayo, PA – ''(4 April 1996 – 15 January 1998)'' * MGen. Arturo B. Carrillo, PA – ''(15 January 1998 – 6 November 1999)'' * MGen. Rufo A. De Veyra, PA – ''(6 November 1999 – 7 July 2001)'' * MGen. Romeo B. Dominguez, PA – ''(6 July 2001 – 10 February 2003)'' * MGen. Glenn J. Rabonza, PA – ''(10 February 2003 – 4 January 2005)'' * BGen. Bonifacio B. Ramos, PA – ''(4 January 2005 – 10 February 2005)'' * MGen. Jovito S. Palparan Jr., PA – ''(10 February 2005 – 25 August 2005)'' * MGen. Bonifacio B. Ramos, PA – ''(25 August 2005 – 29 July 2006)'' * BGen. Randy S. Dauz, PA – ''(29 July 2006 – 16 August 2006)'' * MGen. Rodrigo F. Maclang, PA – ''(16 August 2006 – 15 January 2007)'' * MGen. Armando L. Cunanan, PA – ''(15 January 2007 – 19 May 2008)'' * BGen. Allan Ragpala, PA – ''(19 May 2008 – 4 June 2008)'' * BGen. Arthur I. Tabaquero, PA – ''(4 June 2008 – 24 August 2010)'' * MGen. Mario F. Chan, PA – ''(24 August 2010 – 8 April 2012)'' * MGen. Gerardo T. Layug, PA – ''(8 April 2012 – September 2013)'' * MGen. Jet B. Velarmino, PA – ''(13 September 2013 – 6 October 2016) '' * MGen. Raul M. Farnacio, PA – ''(6 October 2016 – 5 June 2019)'' * MGen. Pio Q. Diñoso III, PA – ''(5 June 2019 – 9 October 2021)'' * ''BGen. Wilbur C. Mamawag, PA – (9 October 2021 – 6 December 2021) (acting)'' * MGen. Edgardo Y. De Leon, PA – ''(6 December 2021 – 23 September 2022)'' * ''BGen. Zosimo A. Oliveros, PA – (23 September 2022 – 21 October 2022) (acting)'' * MGen. Camilo Z. Ligayo, PA – ''(21 October 2022 – Present)''

Current Units

The following are the Brigades under the 8th Infantry Division: * 801st Infantry (Bantay at Gabay) Brigade * 802nd Infantry (Peerless) Brigade * 803rd Infantry (Peacemaker) Brigade The following are the Battalions under the 8th Infantry Division: * 14th Infantry (Avenger) Battalion * 19th Infantry (Commando) Battalion * 20th Infantry (We Lead) Battalion * 31st Infantry (Charge) Battalion * 34th Infantry (Reliable) Battalion * 43rd Infantry (We Search) Battalion * 46th Infantry (Peace Makers) Battalion * 52nd Infantry (Catch 'Em) Battalion * 63rd Infantry (Innovator) Battalion * 78th Infantry (Warrior) Battalion * 87th Infantry (Hinirang) Battalion * 93rd Infantry (Bantay Kapayapaan) Battalion The following are the Support Units under the 8th Infantry Division: * Headquarters and Headquarters Service Battalion * Service Support Battalion * 8th Signal Battalion * 8th Dental Detachment * 8th Military Police Company * 8th Post Engineer Detachment * 8th Civil Military Operations (Dangpanan) Battalion * 8th Division Training School * 8th Field Artillery Battery (S) * 8th Light Armor Company (S)

Operations

Government Arsenal The Government Arsenal (GA) is an agency of the Philippine government under the Department of National Defense, responsible for the production of basic weaponry and ammunition for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine ...

* Anti-guerrilla operations against the

New People's Army The New People's Army (; abbreviated NPA or BHB) is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). It acts as the CPP's principal organization, aiming to consolidate political power from what it sees as the present "bourgeo ...

* Operation Enduring Freedom - Philippines. * Office of the Civil Defense

Incidents

Killing of Leonard Co, Sofronio Cortez, and Julius Borromeo

On November 15, 2010, Botanist Leonard Co, forester Sofronio Cortez, and farmer Julius Borromeo, were working on a biodiversity project under the auspices of the Energy Development Corporation when they were killed in an incident involving nine members of the 19th Infantry Battalion in the forests of Kananga, Leyte. Co, who was considered the foremost authority in

ethnobotany Ethnobotany is an interdisciplinary field at the interface of natural and social sciences that studies the relationships between humans and plants. It focuses on traditional knowledge of how plants are used, managed, and perceived in human socie ...

in the Philippines at the time of his death, was examining a tree when the shooting began, while Cortez and Borromeo were helping him. Members of the 19IB, a unit under the 8ID, claimed that Co's group had been caught in the crossfire in a fight between their unit and the

, but this claim was challenged by numerous investigating groups, including the

and the Philippines'

Commission on Human Rights A human rights commission, also known as a human relations commission, is a body set up to investigate, promote or protect human rights. The term may refer to international, national or subnational bodies set up for this purpose, such as nationa ...

. The

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

eventually filed charges against the soldiers involved, and the case is currently in the courts.

External Entrusion

Philippine Army Reserve Command The Reserve Command, Philippine Army (RESCOM, PA; ) is one of the Philippine Army's Major Support Commands created for the sole purpose of reserve force management, organization and Government Arsenal procurement. History Philippine Commonweal ...

- all graduates of the Citizen Army Training and the Reserve Officer Training Corps are mandated to merge to as National Defense in case of a National Entrusion.

References

* http://www.army.mil.ph/Army_Sites/ * https://archive.today/20121221055258/http://army.mil.ph/Army_Sites/INFANTRY%20DIVISIONS/8ID/ {{Philippine Army regular units and formations Infantry divisions of the Philippines Military units and formations established in 1988