CATARMAN, Northern Samar – Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. and Major Gen. Camilo Ligayo, commander of the 8th Infantry Division, announced that Northern Samar is now under a state of Stable Internal Peace and Security after no active NPA guerilla fronts were found operating in the province.
Ligayo added that all the barangays in the province are free from NPA influence.
Abalos presided over the Joint Regional Task Force 8-End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) Peace and Development Dialogue here on Monday, May 6.
The dialogue highlighted the peace and security status and the collaborative efforts of the members of the Peace, Law Enforcement, and Development Support Custer of JRTF8-ELCAC and the successful civilian-led dismantling of the remaining guerilla fronts.
Brig. Gen. Efren Morados, commander of the 803rd Infantry Brigade, disclosed that there are only five NPA vertical units left which are remnants of different front committee units in Eastern Visayas.
Morados said that there is one criteria to enable Northern Samar to be declared as insurgency-free. "There should be no report, sightings, or movements of NPAs in the area," he said.
Gov. Edwin Ongchuan said that aside from their regular programs under the TF-ELCAC, there are over 50 former communist rebels who have been hired as farm workers of the provincial government to augment rice, corn, and other high value crops production.
They are staying in Kauswagan Village, a housing and livelihood community for former rebels in Barangay Cablangan, Mondragon.
Northern Samar's anti-insurgency campaign remains a top priority of the provincial government since it was tagged as the last bastion of insurgency.
The task force aims to end insurgency by the end of the year.