• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
“Kiss of death”.
This was the message of Maj. Gen. Marion Sison, commander of the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, to prospective candidates of the May 2025 elections, who may seek the support or have an alliance with the New People’s Army (NPA).
“By doing it, the more they will become a loser,” he said, adding that the candidates should not be afraid of the NPA anymore.
The provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental have been declared by the Philippine Army as under a status of stable internal peace and security, following the dismantling of five NPA guerrilla fronts, including their regional strike force and mass based organizations, and the clearing of insurgency-affected barangays.
Sison said that each dismantled guerrilla front has remaining five to seven members, who are now the subjects of continued focus military operations.
He appealed to the public to continue helping Army soldiers in Negros, acknowledging that majority of the initiated encounters turned out to be successful because of the timely information relayed to them by civilians.
Sison was the guest of honor and speaker during the 38th founding anniversary celebration of the 303rd Infantry Brigade at Camp Major Nelson Gerona in Murcia, Negros Occidental on July 12. | GB
