| Fort Ramon Magsaysay | |
|---|---|
Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation (FMMR) | |
| Nueva Ecija,Philippines | |
 Fort Ramon Magsaysay entrance gate | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Military base |
| Controlled by | Philippine Army United States Army(under jurisdiction of Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement) |
| Location | |
  Fort Ramon Magsaysay .svg) Fort Ramon Magsaysay .svg) Fort Ramon Magsaysay | |
| Coordinates | 15°26′17″N121°05′28″E / 15.438°N 121.091°E /15.438; 121.091 |
| Site history | |
| Built | December 19, 1955 |
| In use | 1955–present |
| Materials | Concrete, steel |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | |
Fort Ramon Magsaysay, also known as theFort Magsaysay Military Reservation (FMMR) and sometimes shortened toFort Mag, is the largestmilitary reservation in thePhilippines and serves as a key training area for theArmed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Fort Magsaysay spans the provinces ofNueva Ecija andAurora, encompassing the city ofPalayan and the municipalities ofSanta Rosa,General Tinio,Laur, andDingalan.
On December 10, 1955, PresidentRamon Magsaysay enacted the 73,000 hectares (180,000 acres) base centered in Palayan City.[1] The reservation covers the municipalities of Papaya (now General Tinio), Santa Rosa and Laur, all of the province of Nueva Ecija and portion of Aurora province. 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.[2]
As one of the main training grounds of the Philippine Army, Fort Magsaysay hosted theTraining and Doctrine Command (TRADOC, now the Training Command (TRACOM)) a couple of times in its history. Currently, TRACOM is located inCamp O'Donnell, but majority of the field exercises are conducted in Fort Magsaysay.
Duringmartial law, SenatorsJose W. Diokno andNinoy Aquino were incarcerated in Fort Magsaysay for exactly thirty days after PresidentFerdinand Marcos declared martial law on September 21, 1972.[3][4] It is now called the Aquino-Diokno Memorial and is home to the AFP Center for Human Rights.
In 1991,Mount Pinatubo's eruption led 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.[5]
Fort Magsaysay's vast tracts of land has time and again attracted a number of claimants, without escaping controversy.[1][6][7] In some occasions, illegal loggers have found their way into the reservation.[8][9]
On September 21, 2012, PresidentBenigno Aquino III led the observance of the 40th anniversary ofMartial Law under Ferdinand Marcos 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 Complex inTarlac, provides the Armed Forces of the Philippines and allied nations ample training grounds in modernjungle warfare in large unit formation. The RP-US 2009Balikatan exercises commenced at Fort Magsaysay.[10] 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.[11]
Fort Magsaysay currently hosts theMega Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center, which was donated by Chinese businessmanHuang Rulun after the election of PresidentRodrigo Duterte in 2016.Portable modular buildings were 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. By 2017, it had only received 311 patients.[12] TheDepartment of Health in July 2020 used the Mega Rehab Center as a quarantine facility for theCOVID-19 pandemic.[13]
In 2020, Fort Magsaysay received a budget of P273 million from theDND–DPWH Convergence 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.[14]
Fort Magsaysay can be reached through the Bangad–Fort Magsaysay Road or through the Santa 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.[15]
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 Skyhawk andCE421 from Fort Magsaysay.
Fort Magsaysay also features a rest and recreation (R&R) facility known as the Pahingahan Complex (from the Filipino wordpahingahan, meaning "a place of rest"). The complex is situated on the shores of a man-made lake within the base and offers recreational activities such as kayaking and hiking on nearby trails. Located in northwestern Luzon, near Manila, Fort Magsaysay is surrounded by agricultural areas that produce tropical fruits, rice, and other vegetation. Livestock, including chickens—some of which are used incockfighting—are also present and contribute to the base’s food supply. Common modes of transportation in the area include jeepneys, tricycles, motor vehicles, and carabaos. The facility also serves as a hub for rest and recreational activities for military personnel.
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 12Marine Battalions have gone through the NTC's program at Fort Magsaysay.[16]
The fort acquired a fleet of trucks and ambulances worth P98.3 million on May 23, 2016.[11]
Fort Magsaysay Airfield | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||
| Operator | Philippine Army | ||||||||||
| Location | Fort Ramon Magsaysay,Nueva Ecija, Philippines | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 75.85 m / 248.85 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 15°26′02″N121°05′14″E / 15.43389°N 121.08722°E /15.43389; 121.08722 | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  RPLV .svg) RPLV .svg) RPLV | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Source:[17] | |||||||||||
