Philippine Army commanders in Negros Oriental on Wednesday appealed to local chief executives to help the government achieve its goal for an insurgency-free province by the middle of this year.
The Army commanders stressed that the responsibility of eradicating the problem of insurgency in Negros Oriental lies not only on the military but on the local governments and civil society as well.
During a meeting of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines-Negros Oriental chapter held at a hotel in Dumaguete City, the mayors were informed of the six-month extension given to the Philippine Army to accomplish their goal of declaring the province free from insurgency.
Army officials repeatedly admitted their failure to meet the deadline set December last year to reduce the insurgency problem in Negros Oriental to an insignificant level with the civil government taking over the lead in addressing peace and development.
A multi-media briefing was presented to the mayors to update them on the current situation in the province, more particularly on the threat of the New People’s Army in at least 17 more barangays.
The 17 affected barangays, mostly in Guihulngan City, Sta. Catalina and Siaton, have to be totally cleared before the province can be declared insurgency-free, said Capt. Cresencio Gargar, 302nd Infantry Brigade spokesperson, during the briefing.
While majority of these barangays are now being evaluated, five remain to be still affected by the insurgency. These are Talalak, Nagbinlod and Milagrosa in Sta. Catalina, Apoloy in Siaton and Hinakpan in Guihulngan City.
Agrarian-related issues prevail in these areas which the Army claims are being exploited by the rebel New People’s Army (NPA), he said. Gargar stressed the need of support from government agencies such as the Department of Agrarian Reform and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to address these issues.
Negros Oriental is the only province in Region 7 or Central Visayas that is still experiencing the insurgency problem.
The mayors present during the meeting were Bentham dela Cruz of Amlan, Edgar Teves of Valencia, Emmanuel Diputado of Sibulan, Carmelo Remollo of San Jose, Kit Mark Adanza of Zamboanguita, Beda Canamaque of Basay, Neil Credo of Dauin and Felipe Sy of Manjuyod. (PNA/JFP)
