BY GLENDA TAYONA and RUBY P. SILUBRICO
ILOILO City – There are no active armed rebel groups in the metro and no insurgency-related violence, according to the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO), 301st Infantry Brigade (301IB) of the Philippine Army (PA) and Philippine Coast Guard Western Visayas (PCG-WV). This southern city is thus ripe for a formal declaration as insurgency-free, they agreed during a meeting on Saturday.
Police Colonel Joeresty Coronica, ICPO director, said they will submit their recommendation to the Iloilo City Peace and Order Council (CPOC) with Mayor Jerry Treñas as chairman.
Once approved by the CPOC, a resolution will be forwarded to the Regional Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Center (RJPSCC) – Western Visayas for the latter’s official declaration of Iloilo City as insurgency-free.
The RJPSCC – Western Visayas is composed of officials of the Police Regional Office 6, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine Coast Guard, and government officials.
Coronica said the city has met the requirements or parameters for an insurgency-free status.
Among others, he said, there are no active armed rebel groups in the city.
“No violence or atrocities happened in recent years. No armed group has been monitored,” he said.
Treñas welcomed the law enforcers’ plan.
“I am very glad that ICPO has determined that Iloilo City is insurgency-free,” Treñas told Panay News on Sunday night.
He added, “It means we can focus on the development of the city so that we can provide more employment and improve the quality of life of our people.”
On the other hand, Brigadier General Marion Samson, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division of Philippine Army, said, “Base sa amon assessment wala naman sang mga violence nga natabu pila na ka years. Wala naman sang active armed groups or even mga rallies done by the legal front nga may violence.”
Last month, Bacolod City was declared insurgency-free by the officials of the RJPSCC-Western Visayas during its meeting held at the Bacolod City Government Center.
“It is very important for our peace and order. If the threat from that sector is contained, then definitely we will have a peaceful and orderly city,” Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said.
He pointed out that economic development remains to be the best solution and tool to address insurgency.
The resolution declaring Bacolod as insurgency-free came after a series of successful peace and order initiatives that helped improve the peace and security situation of the city, including the Bacolod City Council’s declaration of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) as persona non-grata in 2019, the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) said.
The signing was led by officials of the Philippine Army, Philippine National Police, PCG, and the Bacolod City Government during the 2nd Quarter RJPSCC meeting convened on May 19.
In the resolution, the RJPSCC underscored the need for continuous collaboration among the security forces and the community to prevent the resurgence of any communist terrorist group-affiliated sectoral groups and to deter terrorism and other organized crime activities in the city. (With a report from Philippine News Agency)/PN
