TARLAC CITY (PIA) -- Philippine National Police Chief Police General Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar lauded the iron-clad partnership between the police and military in Northern and Central Luzon.

In his message during the Area Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Committee Meeting held at the Armed Forces of the Philippines Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) Headquarters, the top cop emphasized that the police and military have been working hand-in-hand in maintaining peace and order in all parts of the country.

“We climbed mountains and crossed rough seas, we shed blood and made ultimate sacrifices together in the battle against criminal elements, insurgents and terrorists,” he said.

“With all the joint operations and joint activities, dito natin nakikita ang talagang pinagsasamahan natin and we have to sustain this, kasi hindi puwede tayong magkahiwalay,” Eleazar furthered.

“Napakarami ng pagsubok ang pinagdaanan ng ating samahan, but this will not break our bond and in fact this will only make our tie stronger than ever,” the official said.

During the meeting, the police and military underscored the massive gains of the joint operations in terms of addressing communist insurgency and terrorism in Northern and Central Luzon following the implementation of Joint Campaign Plan “NATALNA”, the focal point of Police Area Command – Northern Luzon and NOLCOM’s joint security operations. 

It was revealed that since the implementation of Joint Campaign Plan “NATALNA” last December, a total of 26 rebels have been neutralized through joint security and law enforcement operations while 1,729 returned to government fold and yielded a total of 300 firearms.

Moreover,1,734 party members of the different New People’s Army-affiliated mass organizations withdrew their support to the group. (CLJD/GLSB-PIA 3)