Fort Magsaysay
Fort Ramon Magsaysay | |
---|---|
Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation (FMMR) | |
Nueva Ecija,Philippines | |
Fort Ramon Magsaysay entrance gate | |
Coordinates | 15°26′17″N121°05′28″E/ 15.438°N 121.091°E |
Type | Military Base |
Site information | |
Controlled by | Philippine Army United States Army(under jurisdiction of Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement) |
Site history | |
Built | December 19, 1955 |
In use | 1955-present![]() |
Materials | Concrete, Steel |
Garrison information | |
Garrison |
Fort Magsaysay Airfield | |||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Military | ||||||||||
Operator | Philippine Army | ||||||||||
Location | Fort Ramon Magsaysay,Nueva Ecija,Philippines | ||||||||||
ElevationAMSL | 75.85 m / 248.85 ft | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 15°26′02″N121°05′14″E/ 15.43389°N 121.08722°E | ||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
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Source:[1] |
Fort Ramon Magsaysay,also known asFort Magsaysay Military Reservation (FMMR)andFort Mag,is the largestmilitary reservationin thePhilippines,and is a key training area of thePhilippine Armed Forces.Fort Magsaysay straddles the provinces ofNueva EcijaandAurora,encompassingPalayan City,Sta. Rosa,Gen. Tinio,Laur,andDingalan.
History
[edit]Creation
[edit]On December 10, 1955, PresidentRamon Magsaysayenacted the 73,000 hectares (180,000 acres) base centered in Laur, Palayan.[2]The reservation covers portions of the provinces of Nueva Ecija,Bulacan,andAurora.The reservation is used for military training and live-fire exercises.
In its infancy, Fort Magsaysay hosted theArmy Training Command(ATC) which provided basic training for enlisted personnel and officers and advanced training in some specialties such as infantry and artillery.[3]
As one of the main training grounds of the Philippine Army, Fort Magsaysay hosted theTraining and Doctrine Command(TRADOC) a couple of times in its history. Currently, TRADOC is located inCamp O'Donnell,but majority of the field exercises are conducted in Fort Magsaysay.
Martial law
[edit]DuringMartial Law,SenatorsJose W. Diokno,the father ofhuman rightsandNinoy Aquino,the father of the future 15th Pres.Benigno "Noynoy" Aquinowere incarcerated in Fort Magsaysay for exactly thirty days after PresidentFerdinand Marcosdeclared martial law on September 21, 1972.[4][5]It is now called the Aquino-Diokno Memorial and is home to the AFP Center for Human Rights.
Recent history
[edit]In 1991,Mt. Pinatubo's eruptionled to the Philippine government to relocate some of the residents of the volcano and Fort Magsaysay was one of the relocation sites. Almost two decades later, the Philippine Army remains in conflict with tenant farmers, as the latter have been ordered evicted from the military reservation.[6]
Fort Magsaysay's vast tracts of land has time and again attracted a number of claimants, without escaping controversy.[2][7][8]In some occasions, illegal loggers have found their way into the reservation.[9][10]
On September 21, 2012, PresidentBenigno S. Aquino IIIled the observance of the 40th anniversary by opening the Aquino-Diokno Memorial, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Center for Human Rights Dialogue inside Fort Magsaysay and the museum-replica of the 1973 detention facility of Ninoy (Codenamed: Alpha) and Diokno (Codenamed: Delta).[1][2]
At present, Fort Magsaysay, along with theCrow Valley Range ComplexinTarlac,provides the Armed Forces of the Philippines and allied nations ample training grounds in modernjungle warfarein large unit formation. The RP-US 2009Balikatan exercisescommenced at Fort Magsaysay.[11]The fort is one of the five bases where US troops and supplies could be stationed under a security deal with the Philippine and US governments.[12]
Fort Magsaysay currently hosts theMega Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Centerwhich was donated by Chinese businessmanHuang Rulunafter the election of PresidentRodrigo Dutertein 2016.Portable modular buildingswere used, with the DND allocating the land within Fort Magsaysay for the project. The rehab center which is designed to house 10,000 patients has received much criticism from the opposition and various sectors of society. As of 2017 it only received 311 patients.[13]TheDepartment of Healthin July 2020 used the Mega Rehab Center as a quarantine facilities for theCOVID-19 pandemic.[14]
In 2020, Fort Magsaysay received a budget of P273 million from theDND-DPWHConvergence Program on Strengthening and Expanding Military Readiness for National Security and Development otherwise known asTatag ng Imprastraktura para sa Kapayapaan at Seguridad (TIKAS)(Stable Infrastructure for Peace and Security) program. This entails constructions, renovation, and refurbishment of facilities in military camps around the country. The project includes construction of a new headquarters for the 7th Infantry Division, a 7.3 km road, barracks and transient facilities for the Light Reaction Regiment and Special Forces units, as well as hangar facilities for the Army Aviation Battalion.[15]
Description
[edit]Fort Magsaysay can be reached through the Bangad-Fort Magsaysay Road or through the Sta. Rosa-Fort Magsaysay Road.
The original 73,000-hectare military reservation has been reduced to 35,000 hectares after seven presidential proclamations. Despite this reduction, the sprawling base reaches all the way to the Pacific Ocean, over the Sierra Madre Mountains, with 12 kilometers of coastline.[16]
Fort Magsaysay is also the only Philippine Army base that boast its own runway, apron, aircraft maintenance, and air control facilities. The Philippine Army operatesCessna CE172 SkyhawkandCE421from Fort Magsaysay.
Fort Magsaysay also has its own Rest & Recreation facility called Pahingahan Complex. ( "Pahingahan"is the Filipino word for" a place of rest. ") The R&R facility is located on the shores of a man-made lake in the base. Soldiers and tourists can also enjoy kayaking and hiking in the nearby trails. Fort Magsaysay is located in Northwest Luzon central of Manila. Its abundance of tropical fruits, vegetation and crops of rice facilitates military personnel among those are chickens used forcockfightingevents and food delivery. The choice of transportation are mainly jeepneys, tricycle, motor vehicles and carabao. It is a gateway for rest and lively entertainment.
Modernization
[edit]TheDepartment of National Defense's plans to expand and modernize the Philippine Army, Fort Magsaysay has been designated as the AFP's National Training Center (NTC). The NTC's mission is to upgrade and train at battalion level. In a period of 6 years, more than 72 Army Battalions and 12MarineBattalions have gone through the NTC's program at Fort Magsaysay.[17]
The fort acquired a fleet of trucks and ambulances worth P98.3 million on May 23, 2016.[12]
Facilities
[edit]- Fort Magsaysay Airfield(ICAO:RPLV)
- Fort Magsaysay Army Station Hospital (FMASH)
- 650 m firing range
- 500 m firing range
- 150 m firing range
- 100 m firing range
- 1.6 km runway & apron
- Officer's Club
- Batis
- Church
- Headquarters
- Stockade
- Army Store[18]
- R&R Facilities (Pahingahan Complex)
- Aquino Diokno Shrine
- Golf Course
- Pahingahan Dam
- Gym
- AFP Transient Facilities[19]
Gallery
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Airport information for RPLV[usurped]fromDAFIF(effective October 2006)
- ^abG.R. No. L-27594
- ^Philippine Army General Structure
- ^Ninoy's Letter to his daughter Ballsy
- ^Ninoy's letter to Soc Rodrigo
- ^Groups bewail eviction of 34 families from military reservation
- ^Fort Magsaysay in Romblon?
- ^CA Junks claim over Fort Magsaysay
- ^Top brass aware of NE logging
- ^G.R. No. L-24971 June 20, 1975
- ^Annual Balikatan 2009 exercise at Fort Magsaysay begins
- ^abDomingo, Ferdie (May 23, 2016)."Fort acquires new equipment".Manila Standard.The Standard.RetrievedMay 28,2016.
- ^Billones, Trishia (1 November 2017)."Mega drug rehab center in N. Ecija a 'mistake': DDB chief".ABS-CBN news.Retrieved1 November2017.
- ^"Nueva Ecija drug rehab center turned into 500-room quarantine facility".GMA News Online.GMA News & Public Affairs. 18 July 2020.Retrieved1 June2021.
- ^"Villar launched construction of new facility inside Fort Magsaysay | Department of Public Works and Highways".www.dpwh.gov.ph.DPWH.Retrieved1 June2021.
- ^Multi-Purpose Complex planned by the Army, Philippine Daily Inquirer, June 10, 2000
- ^"Philippine Army".
- ^PA Photo Release No 01-068Archived2010-05-21 at theWayback Machine
- ^AFP Transient Facilities and LocationArchived2010-05-23 at theWayback Machine
External links
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