1CAV squad emerges as champion in 14th Squad Challenge

 By Gideon Corgue

PAGADIAN CITY, May 15— The Armor (Pambato) Division, Philippine Army officially declared the winners of the 14th Squad Challenge during the closing ceremony held at its headquarters in Camp O' Donell, Capas, Tarlac recently.

The 14th Squad Challenge consists of two categories: Cavalry Carrier Team and Mechanized Dismount Team.

In the Cavalry Carrier Team category, the winners are as follows: 1st Cavalry (Tagapanguna) Battalion of Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur as champion, the 4th Cavalry Company of Cagayan De Oro, second place, and 7th Cavalry Company of Catbalogan, Samar, third place . While in the Mechanized Dismount Team Category, the 4th Mechanized Infantry (Kalasag) Battalion of Balo-i, Lanao del Norte was the Champion, the 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion of Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat, second place; and the 6th Mechanized Infantry Battalion of Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao, third place.

LtCol. John Mark Competente, the commanding officer of 1CAV said that after several months of training and preparation, the ‘Tagapanguna’ Squad Challenge contenders consisting of nine (9) personnel participated in the 5-day competition on May 8 to 12.

Throughout the competition, Competente said their abilities were tested in every event, and the Tagapunguna team was able to showcase their skills, knowledge, and ability to work together as a disciplined and excellent team, surpassing other teams.

The participants competed in the following events: physical fitness test, preventive maintenance check service, combat driving, skills qualification test, signal communication, squad run, endurance firing, explosive identification, tank gunnery, confidence course rope course, obstacles course, water skills , disaster response operations, tactical combat casualty care, map reading and land navigation.

The commanding officer said that the unit proved to be up to the task, exhibiting a high level of proficiency in each of the challenges.

"1CAV's victory in the 14th Squad Challenge is a significant achievement and reinforces the unit's reputation as one of the best in the Armor unit. It is a testament to the high level of training, discipline, and professionalism that the 1CAV instills in its soldiers," Competente concluded.

The Squad Challenge is a prestigious annual competition that some of the best armor units compete  against each other in a series of rigorous tests. This year's challenge included a range of physical and mental challenges designed to test the limits of the participating squads.

The awarding ceremony will be held on the founding anniversary of the Armor Division on June 16. ( With reports from 1CAV/gcc/KBP-Zamboanga del Sur)