COTABATO CITY — Sectoral leaders, among them datus of Indigenous tribes, declared Kibawe town in Bukidnon as totally cleared from the presence of the New People’s Army during a symbolic rite on Tuesday, November 26.
The event, organized by local executives, members of the Kibawe multi-sector Municipal Peace and Order Council, officials of units under the Army’s 10th Infantry Division and the Police Regional Office-10, was held at a function facility in the municipality.
Army Major Gen. Allan Hambala, commander of the 10th ID, told reporters on Thursday, November 28, that credit for the feat should go to the local communities, the leaders of the highland tribes in the area and the units of the division in Bukidnon province.
"It was for the support of the local communities to the 10th ID's pacification efforts that Kibawe had become virtually insurgency-free. We can’t thank them enough for that,” Hambala said.
Bukidnon is a component province of Administrative Region 10.
Municipal officials and figureheads of the local communities have declared in recent months the municipalities of San Fernando, Kadingilan, Damulog, and Dangcagan towns in Bukidnon as insurgency-free during separate gatherings that were capped off with their crafting of resolutions that stated their commitment to sustain the peace now in all four areas via cross-section peacebuilding activities.