CAMP CAPINPIN, Tanay, Rizal --The 2nd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army again on its commitment for good governance conducted two days of on-site audit to 80th Infantry Battalion in Pinugay, Baras, Rizal from August 11 to 12, 2021 in connection with the said unit's application for the Institutionalized Status in the Army Governance Pathway.

The activity is a part of the Army Transformation Roadmap that aims to institute development and embed good governance for the entire Philippine Army. The Army Governance Pathway has four hallmarks that all Army units are to vie for, and these are Initiated, Compliant, Proficient, and Institutionalized. In the Initiated status the unit must put in place their strategic direction; while for the Compliant status, the mechanisms for strategy execution must be emplaced; for Proficient status, the functionality of strategy execution mechanisms must be observed in the unit; and lastly, in the Institutionalized status, the results of the efforts in the three previous levels must translate to a culture of good governance.

Amongst the four statuses, Institutionalized is the highest level. Thus, all units of the Philippine Army would like to be certified and remain as such. In the case of the 2nd Infantry Division, it has been recertified last March 25, 2020, as Institutionalized. 80IB was awarded the Initiated status on October 31, 2015; Compliant on May 30, 2016; and as Proficient on May 2, 2017. Presently, 80IB is applying for the Institutionalized status having achieved and surpassed the first three levels.

During the on-site audit, the said unit was found qualified, having met all the parameters set in the standard of the Army Governance Pathway. The battalion has numerous best practices up their sleeve, but the most notable were the following: First is the Leaflets dropping called 'Bente sa Bote: Halina, Balik Loob na"; 

Second is the Mandatory Firing for personnel applying for leaves and privileges, which are all best practices designed to produce results on operations and eventually beating the enemy.

During the audit, the team conducted document inspection, random interviews of personnel giving premium on their respective scorecards, as well as interviews of stakeholders who praised the unit. The accolades given by the interviewed stakeholders were further proven by the numerous awards and recognitions received by the unit from other stakeholders like the different LGUs, Peoples Organization, Civil Society Organization, and other Local and National Government Agencies in their area of operation. Most notable of the unit's accomplishments is the dismantling of Komite Larangang Gerilya Cesar of the Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee, which contributed not only to the Division's mission but to the whole Philippine Army as well.

The on-site audit team was composed of officers from the headquarters of the 2nd Infantry Division, Philippine Army which was headed by COL DIVINO ARIEL S MABAGOS GSC (INF) PA, the Chief of the Division's Governance Strategy Management Office. Also present during the activity are the officers and the unit Sergeant Major of 80IB under the leadership of LTC BERNARD ZILDO S FERNANDEZ INF (GSC) PA.

The activity is aligned with 2ID's strategic objective of Adopting and Institutionalizing best practices in Administration, Operations, and Support Systems which aims to elevate the subordinate units to the next higher AGP status. With the recent achievement of 80IB, it is not far-fetch that the 2nd Infantry Division will be able to contribute to the overall goal of the Philippine Army of becoming a world-class army that is a source of national pride.