Samar towns declared“peaceful, dev’t ready”

CATBALOGAN  CITY,  SAMAR, Philippines —The Peace and Order Councils of at least three towns in Samar province yesterday declared their respective municipalities now  “peaceful and development ready” with their mayors stating that insurgency cannot and will not prosper in their communities.

Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division spokesman Capt. Amado Gutierrez said these three are the island-municipalities of Santo Niño, Tagapul-an and Almagro, all located in the 1st district of  Samar.

The declaration came after the POCs made and passed the assessments, based on the parameters under the National Internal Peace and Security Plan, while the CPP-NPA-NDF is now on the spotlight with the arrest of its top leaders in Cebu.

“These are basically based on the failure to function of the threat groups as an organized insurgent movement, aside from the very minimal threat to stability, peace and order and development. These are just few of the bases for such declaration,” Gutierrez said.

“This means that rebel activities need minimal military interventions as it can be easily addressed by the police of the said municipalities,” he added.

Almagro town Mayor Lilia Conejos, in her statement, recalled some violence that occurred in the past, pointing out killings of  her constituents for not giving in to extortion demands of the NPA. “I thank the military for helping us move on, cleansing our town of NPAs and helping us realized our dream of  having a peaceful community to live on,” she said.

In a related development, Major General Jet Velarmino, commander of  the 8th ID, said the spirit of  Bayanihan in the province, particularly the three towns, is strong within the Philippine Army, the local government units and other stakeholders.

“We are very happy to be part of this endeavor and we can proudly say that we are moving towards the right direction. Together, we are sending a strong message that these municipalities believe that it is through peace and development efforts, and not armed struggle, that we can achieve a sustainable development and a just and lasting peace in this part of  Samar province,” said Velarmino.

Velarmino however admitted that the military was still on intensive work-out to meet its target, earlier set to June this year, of declaring the whole province of  Samar “peaceful and development ready.” (FREEMAN)