The 403rd Infantry Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Philippine Army, known officially as the Peacemaker Brigade, is one of the

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

s 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 ...

which is organic to its 4th Infantry (Diamond) Division. It is an

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 ...

unit, and specializes in anti-guerrilla warfare.

History

The 403rd Infantry (PEACEMAKER) Brigade traces its roots to the 3rd Infantry Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division, otherwise known as the 3/4th Brigade, being the forerunner of the unit, when it was organized on 15 July 1973 pursuant to General Order Nr 41 Headquarters Philippine Army dated 3 July 1973. Since then, it facilitates the command and control of the newly organized Infantry Battalions as called for by the ever growing Muslim secessionist movement in the 4ID AOR. The Brigade was operationally organized and deployed on 15 September 1973 with its first headquarters at

Pagadian City Pagadian, officially the City of Pagadian, is a component city and the capital of the province of Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines. It is the regional center of Zamboanga Peninsula and the second-largest city in the region and in the province, a ...

under its first Brigade Commander, Colonel Oscar Aleonar, who was also then the Assistant Division Commander of the 4th Infantry Division. Its operating battalions then were 28IB, 9IB and 16IB, all operating in the areas of

Zamboanga del Norte Zamboanga del Norte (Cebuano language, Cebuano: ''Amihanang Zamboanga''; Subanon language, Subanon: ''Utara Sembwangan''; ), officially the Province of Zamboanga del Norte, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines situated w ...

particularly in the municipalities of Siraway and Siocon. Eventually, it was redeployed in the other areas of north eastern

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

Mission

The 403rd Infantry (Peacemaker) Brigade conducts Internal Security Operations (ISO) in the assigned area of responsibility (AOR) of the 4th Infantry Division in

Camiguin Camiguin, officially the Province of Camiguin (; ; Kamigin: ''Probinsya ta Kamigin''), is an island province in the Philippines located in the Bohol Sea, about off the northern coast of mainland Mindanao. It is geographically part of Region ...

Bukidnon Bukidnon (), officially the Province of Bukidnon (; ; ; Bukid language, Binukid and Higaonon language, Higaonon: ''Probinsya ta Bukidnon''), is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Northern Mindan ...

and

Misamis Oriental Misamis Oriental (; ; ), officially the Province of Misamis Oriental, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province located in the Regions of the Philippines, region of Northern Mindanao in the Philippines. The provincial capital, as well as its ...

Provinces to dismantle and destroy the remaining guerilla fronts of the Local Communist Movement (LCM), hold and contain the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Wao and Bumbaran of

Lanao del Sur Lanao del Sur (; Meranaw and ; Jawi ''(Batang Arab)'': ), officially the Province of Lanao del Sur, is a province in the Philippines located in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The capital is the city of Marawi (th ...

and destroy other threat groups 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 criminalities in the area.

Units

The following are the Infantry Battalion units that are presently placed under operational control of the brigade: *8th Infantry (Dependable) Battalion *88th Infantry (Maringal) Battalion *1st Special Forces (Anytime Anywhere) Battalion *58th Infantry (Dimalulupig) Battalion *65th Infantry (Stalwart) Battalion

Operations

* 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 ...

and the

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). After a peace agreement was concluded between Philippine and MNLF officials, the brigade fought against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Trivia

*Two of its former commanders, Colonels Mariano P Adalem and Gregorio M Camiling Jr, rose to become the Commanding General of the Philippine Army and retired in that position with the ranks of Major General and Lieutenant General, respectively.

References

{{Reflist
Official Site of the PA 4ID.
Infantry brigades of the Philippines Military units and formations established in the 1980s