TARLAKENYO — The national government will launch a careful review of the mounting civilian concerns over the strict access restrictions imposed around the Col. Ernesto Ravina Air Base (CERAB) in Capas, Tarlac, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. announced.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Ilocano Dialogue on the West Philippine Sea in Batac, Ilocos Norte, on Saturday, July 18, Teodoro assured that remedial measures will be implemented if investigations prove that local residents are being adversely affected by the military rules.
“We have to look into the whole story behind it. As far as I know, that was [Camp] O’Donnell before and it has long been a military camp. We have to examine it carefully,” Teodoro said.
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) recently tightened security boundaries around the facility, commonly known as Crow Valley, to keep civilians away from active live-fire training areas, particularly during large-scale operations like the annual Balikatan exercises.
The tighter controls have triggered protests from local farmers and indigenous communities who rely on the area for their livelihoods. An estimated 3,000 Capas residents, mostly indigenous Aeta people and local farmers, held a mass protest against the military restrictions inside the PAF’s unilaterally imposed “Danger Zone” in barangays Sta. Juliana, Maruglo, O’Donnell, Sta. Lucia, and Bueno on July 14, 2026.
Teodoro emphasized that the complex situation requires a thorough assessment because the territory has functioned as a government military reservation for decades.
He maintained that the state must find an equitable balance between safeguarding community welfare and maintaining essential defense assets.
“First of all, every place in the Philippines is for Filipinos. Second, we have to determine whether residents are really being displaced or experiencing hardship. Of course, we will provide a remedy if that is the case,” he said.
The defense chief’s statement aligns with previous pronouncements from Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr, who stated that the military leadership remains open to dialogue with the affected communities.
Brawner previously directed the PAF to sustain consultations with the residents to identify localized solutions that could ease the impact on their daily incomes.
To expedite the assessment, Teodoro confirmed that Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) Chief Lt. Gen. Aristotle Gonzales has already begun engaging local stakeholders to verify the conditions on the ground. However, the defense secretary noted that the inquiry will also look into reports that civilian settlements have encroached deeper into the restricted firing zones.
“General Gonzales is engaging because we have to see whether the residents are truly being displaced or experiencing hardship. But there are also reports that some people have extended their presence there. You can see the areas beside it, particularly in the south. So we also have to be careful because these are military reservations,” Teodoro added. “In any case, I will leave it to General Gonzales and the Armed Forces to look into the matter.”
