VIGAN CITY (PIA) – Department of National Defense’s (DND) Officer-in-Charge and Senior Undersecretary Jose C. Faustino, Jr. led the celebration of the Army’s 702nd Infantry (Defender) Brigade’s 34th founding anniversary in Santa Cruz town, Ilocos Sur on September 16.
In his message, Senior Undersecretary Faustino commended the vital contributions of the Defender Brigade in attaining an insurgency-free Ilocos Region or in a state of stable internal peace and security, the first region in the entire country to achieve such status.
“I hereby give my highest commendations to our Defenders of the North, ably led by Brig. Gen. Krishnamurti Mortela, for keeping their area of responsibility generally stable and secure thereby making it thrive in peace and progress. Defenders of the North, your One Defense Team is truly proud of you,” he said.
Ilocos Region reached this status on February 24 through a resolution concurred by then National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Jr., along with the members of the Joint Regional Development Council 1 - Regional Peace and Order Council 1.
Since January 2021, there has been zero violent incidents initiated by communist terrorist groups (CTG) in their area of responsibility, according to Brigadier General Mortela.
Faustino then pointed out the strategic value of the government’s whole-of-nation approach in the country’s peace and development efforts.
“Due to its effectiveness, the CTGs could no longer generate support and could hardly recruit new members. However, we cannot be complacent. Maintain the intensity of your community support program to deny any re-entry by the CTGs in peaceful regions as we capacitate people’s organizations through continuous engagements and enhancement programs, conduct community peace-building operations and establish an integrated territorial defense system,” he said.
Through this approach, rebels surrender and pledge their allegiance to the government as they aim to have a renewed and productive life with the help of the member-agencies of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.
“Kasama ang lokal na pamahalaan, ng pamayanan, at iba’t ibang ahensya, ipagpatuloy natin ang pagkalinga sa mga former rebels na nagbagong buhay,” Faustino added.
Faustino was joined by Lt. Gen. Ernesto Torres, Commander of the Northern Luzon Command, other military guests including its former Brigade Commander now the Acting Division Commander of the 5th Infantry Division, Brig. Gen. Audrey Pasia, the Police Regional Office 1 and its provincial directors, and some stakeholders from the national government agencies, private sectors, and provincial/local government units. (JCR/AMB/JMCQ, PIA Ilocos Sur)
