• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Both the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental are gearing up for a stable internal peace and security (SIPS) status.
On Thursday (March 7), the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) headed by Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson adopted the recommendation of the Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Committee (JPSCC), composed of the Philippine Army, Philippine National Police (PNP) and Philippine Coast Guard, to declare Negros Occidental in a state of SIPS.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Negros Oriental earlier concurred the recommendation of its JPSCC to also declare that the province be placed in SIPS status, said Maj. Mervin Rosal, 303rd Infantry Brigade (IB) civil-military operations chief.
Under the SIPS status, the province is categorized as cleared, unaffected, and is relatively peaceful, and the local government unit and the PNP acknowledge and accept that only law enforcement operations are needed, with the Philippine Army playing a supporting role.
During the PPOC meeting on Thursday, the Philippine Army reported the dismantling of the five NPA guerrilla fronts, including its political and military structures, clearing of all insurgency affected barangays and sitios, and reduction of its armed combatants from 295 in 2019 to only 42 last year and firearms, from 318 to the remainder 68.
It added that the dismantling of the NPA Regional Strike Force led to a leadership vacuum, with its combatants down to only seven.
Col. Victor Llapitan, 303IB deputy commander, said that declaring Negros in a SIPS status does not mean that the island is already insurgency-free.
Some 42 remaining NPA rebels in five dismantled guerrilla fronts are now the subjects of continued focused military operations, he added.
Llapitan said they enlisted the help of Negrenses in reporting the presence of rebel remnants in their respective communities, citing the timely information given by residents of Barangay Pinapugasan, Escalante City, which led to a series of gunbattles that claimed the lives of three rebel remnants and the recovery of 20 firearms.
Mayor Melecio Yap Jr. aired his concern on the continued killings perpetrated by rebel remnants in the hinterlands of Escalante City and the neighboring Toboso town.
Yap urged the Philippine Army to finish the NPA remnants.
Llapitan said the troops are doing their best to prevent the NPA atrocities as he assured local officials that they will not leave Negros Island. | GB
