To help track down foes during combat operations, the Philippine Marines will use 12 specially-trained dogs to Mindanao, a Navy spokesman said on Friday.

Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo, Navy Public Affairs Office director, said demonstration of the dog’s capabilities in combat tracking operations will be held on Monday at the Naval Station Jose Francisco in Ft. Bonifacio, Taguig.

Rear Admiral Danilo Cortez, Navy flag officer-in-command, Brig. Gen. Rustico Guerrero, Marine Corps commandant, will witness the event which precedes the send-off ceremony for the Marine Drum and Bugle Team which will fly to Gangwan-do, South Korea for the Wonju Tattoo 2010 Music Festival.

According to Arevalo, the use K-9 dogs will enhance the Marines’ security operations, especially in Southern Philippines where government troops have to deal with members of the Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and other enemies of the state.

“What happens usually is that every time there’s an encounter, we often read (in the news) the enemy withdrew towards a direction and then bloodstains were all over the place indicating there were casualties on the enemy side,” Arevalo said.

He said that while the military now wants to get rid of the body count syndrome, the recovery of firearms and physical count of enemies, whether dead or wounded, remains the measure of success of combat operations.