BACOLOD City – The Philippine Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade (303rd IBde) assured Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson of the military’s support in peace and development in the province.
Colonel Inocencio Pasaporte, commander of the 303rd IBde in Murcia, Negros Occidental, said with the governor-chaired Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF-ELCAC) already in place, the Army and the Philippine National Police will continue the intensified combat operations against the remaining New People’s Army (NPA) rebels.
“The Army in Negros will support the PTF-ELCAC in its effort to achieve lasting peace and totally end insurgency in Negros,” Pasaporte added.
On Monday, Pasaporte led the meeting of the PTF-ELCAC Peace, Law Enforcement and Development Support (PLEDS) Cluster with Colonel Romeo Baleros, director of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, at the provincial police headquarters here.
He said the PLEDS Cluster of Negros Occidental will continue to strengthen each member-agency to attain the objectives of the PTF-ELCAC.
“The activity aims to synchronize the efforts of all agencies to facilitate and address the primary issues of the communities exploited by the communist-terrorist NPA,” Pasaporte added.
He also urged the members of PLEDS Cluster to assist in the implementation of the Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP) of the local government units in their areas.
The RCSP was formulated by the national government to strengthen the CSP initiatives of the military and make the efforts of the LGUs driven.
Representatives from the Department of the Interior and Local Government, National Bureau of Investigation, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, Philippine Coast Guard, city and municipal chiefs of police, and commanders of the Negros Occidental Police Mobile Force Companies also attended the cluster meeting.(With a report from PNA/PN)
