On December 10, 1955, President Ramon Magsaysay created the base centered in Laur, Palayan. The reservation covers portions of the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, and Aurora. The reservation is to be used for military training and live-fire exercises. In its infancy Fort Magsaysay hosted the Army Training Command which provided basic training for enlisted personnel and officers and advanced training in some specialties such as infantry and artillery. As one of the main training grounds of the Philippine Army, Fort Magsaysay hosted the Training and Doctrine Command a couple of times in its history. Currently, TRADOC is located in Camp O'Donnell, but majority of the field exercises are conducted in Fort Magsaysay. During Martial Law, Ninoy Aquino and other members of the opposition were incarcerated in Fort Magsaysay. In 1991, Mt. 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. Fort Magsaysay's vast tracts of land has time and again attracted a number of claimants, without escaping controversy. In some occasions, illegal loggers have found their way into the reservation. On September 21, 2012, President Benigno S. Aquino III led the observance of the 40th anniversary by opening the Aquino-Diokno Memorial, the Armed Forces of the PhilippinesCenter for Human Rights Dialogue inside Fort Magsaysay and the museum-replica of the 1973 detention facility of Ninoy and Diokno. At present, Fort Magsaysay, along with the Crow Valley Range Complex in Pampanga, provides the Armed Forces of the Philippines and allied nations ample training grounds in modern jungle warfare in large unit formation. The RP-US 2009 Balikatan exercises commenced at Fort Magsaysay. 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.
Description
Fort Magsaysay can be reached through the Bangad-Fort Magsaysay Road or through the Sta. Rosa-Fort Magsasay 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. Fort Magsaysay is also the only Philippine Army base that boast its own runway, apron, aircraft maintenance, and air control facilities. The Philippine Army operates Cessna CE172 Skyhawk and CE421 from Fort Magsaysay. Fort Magsaysay also has its own Rest & Recreation facility called Pahingahan Complex. The R&R facility is located on the shores of a man-made lake in the base. Soldiers and tourists can also enjoy kayaking and hiking in the nearby trails. Fort Magsaysay is located in Northwest Luzon central of Manila. Its abundance of tropical fruits, vegetation and crops of rice facilitates military personnel among those are chickens used for cockfighting events and food delivery. The choice of transportation are mainly jeepneys, tricycle, motor vehicles and carabao. It is a gateway for rest and lively entertainment.
Modernization
The Department of National Defense's plans to expand and modernize the Philippine Army, Fort Magsaysay has been designated as the AFP's National Training Center. The NTC's mission is to upgrade and train at battalion level. In a period of 6 years, more than 72 Army Battalions and 12 Marine Battalions have gone through the NTC's program at Fort Magsaysay. The fort acquired a fleet of trucks and ambulances worth P98.3 million on May 23, 2016.
