DIGOS CITY, Davao del Sur, April 27 (PIA)- Most of the towns in Davao del Sur are now being watched and guarded by the 39th Infantry Battalion reaching as far as Kiblawan, Matan-ao and Magsaysay, towards Tulunan, Makilala and Kidapawan in North Cotabato while two towns in Davao del Sur namely Malalag, Sta. Cruz, all towns in Davao Occidental and G’lan, Alabel, and Malapatan, Sarangani are the areas of jurisdiction of the 73rd Infantry Battalion.

Lt. Colonel Antonio Quimado Jr., commanding officer of the 73rd IB explained in the Kapehan sa PIA sa Davsur that their areas of jurisdiction do not follow the political boundaries, but follow the threat assessment wherein every battalion is responsible for quelling a group of the New People’s Army in the area.

He clarified that since the province of Davao del Sur declared insurgency-free, skirmishes with the rebels are a thing of the past.

“We have an in-placed sustainment plan.  Changes would only matter on the peculiarities of the communities under our areas of responsibility like cultural differences.   Activities are usually done in indigenous cultural communities which are vulnerable to the infiltration of the rebels,” Quimado said.

He said more community-based activities wherein the people become part of the territorial defense system.

Quimado stressed that the whole-of-nation approach is working in Davao del Sur.

“The responsibility of ensuring that lost territories will not return to the rebels is done by all other agencies of government,” he said.

Lt. Colonel Ezra Balagtey, commanding officer of the 39th Infantry Battalion said government troops are deployed even at the boundary areas of Davao del Sur, North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat since boundary areas where indigenous cultural communities thrive are highly vulnerable to the rebel threat.

He explained that the insurgency-free image is brought largely by the absence of armed threat by the rebels.

“To sustain the insurgency free is to address the root cause of insurgency through the whole-of-the nation approach with the assistance of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Agriculture, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Social Welfare and Development,” Balagtey said.  (PIA XI-Joey Sem Dalumpines)