CAMP VICENTE LIM, Philippines — Laguna has been cleared of communist rebels.
Laguna Gov. Ramil Hernandez and Brig. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr., 2nd Infantry Division commander, signed a memorandum declaring the province insurgency-free during a provincial peace and order council meeting on Thursday.
Burgos said Laguna is the second province in Southern Tagalog after Cavite that was declared “an area with stable internal peace and security” or SIPS.
Romblon and Marinduque were declared insurgency-free in February and March, respectively.
Col. Alex Rillera, 202nd Infantry Brigade commander, said a province is given a SIPS status if there is no violent activity conducted by New People’s Army (NPA) rebels for at least one year. He said no insurgency-related atrocity was recorded in Laguna for more than a year.
Also on Thursday, 12 former NPA rebels in Laguna were awarded financial assistance amounting to P584,000 under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program or E-CLIP.
Meanwhile, newly appointed Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Lt. Gen. Noel Clement admitted that the communist insurgency problem is not likely to end before the end of his term, but could be solved before President Duterte steps down in 2022.
Clement is AFP chief only until January next year. He said the President ordered him to end the insurgency problem as soon as possible.
Clement said the President created a national task force to address the issue.
”You have roles to play insofar as addressing threats to the country is concerned. How fast we in the military can solve this problem will be heavily dependent on the participation of every Filipino,” he said. – With Jaime Laude