Three villages in Iloilo City were declared free from New People’s Army (NPA) infiltration.
According to the Community Support program (CSP), the villages of Bitoon, Tabuc Suba and Balabago in Jaro district were cleared from rebels after a nine-month operation.
Commanding officer, Captain Ivy Arcangeles of the 33rd Civil Military Office (CMO) said one of the successes of the program was the re-organization of former Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CCP-NPA) groups into bayanihan organizations. These organizations include Sitio Ilaya Hugpong Bayanihan Urban Poor Association (SIHBUPA) and Barangay Bitoon Bayanihan Newsite Bayanihan Association (BBNSBA). Arcangeles said her troops were stationed in the barangays since July 2020, even with the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“For almost nine months, the CSP team has contributed a lot not only in clearing the barangays from the influence of the CPP-NPA terrorists and its allied groups, but also in their fight against COVID-19,” she said.
Troops were also deployed in Molo district’s West Timawa, North Fundidor and South Fundidor; Navais in Mandurriao district; Sinikway in Lapuz; Baldoza in Lapaz; and MV Hechanova in Jaro.
Brigadier General Marion Sison, Commander of the 301st Infantry Brigade, thanked officials and residents for their accommodation and support of the CSP operators.
“The culmination of the CSP in three city villages,” Sison said, “was a manifestation of how effective the collaborative effort of the Army, local officials and populace in clearing and guarding their barangays from the deceptive maneuvers of the terrorists and their allied groups.” He is urging the chairmen of the seven barangays to extend the same support to the CSP teams stationed in each. “Sa bayanihan matutuldukan ang terorismo dulot ng komunismo. Let’s help one another to end the armed struggle,” Sison said.
