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Locals, good governance help sustain insurgency-free Davao Region

NABUNTURAN, Davao de Oro (PIA) -- Good governance partnered with the cooperation of the residents, especially in former conflict-affected areas, helped in sustaining an insurgency-free Davao Region, ex-New People’s Army (NPA) officials affirmed.

Joy James “Ka Amihan” Saguino, a former high-ranking leader of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) – NPA, emphasized that the local government units, and national government agencies are already cognizant of their mandates and how it correlates with the campaign in sustaining the victory against communist insurgency.

Even before the enactment of Executive Order No. 70 of then President Rodrigo Duterte, local government units in the region have established programs to address the insurgency problems in the communities, like the Oplan Pagbabago of Davao de Oro, and Nagkakaisang Lingkod Bayan and Happy Home of Davao Oriental, and Peace 911 of Davao City.

A former rebel receives a total of P75,000 cash as immediate and livelihood assistance from the provincial government of Davao de Oro and the Department of the Interior and Local Government under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program. Photo: PIA Region XI photo

These programs have already installed the whole-of-government and whole-of-nation approach to solve the issues on the ground and eventually defeat the CPP-NPA.

Kurt Russel “Ka Ugnay” Sosa, former deputy secretary of Sub Regional Committee 4 of the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SRC 4 – SMRC), also confirmed that good governance bested the efforts of the communist terrorist group (CTG) in winning the hearts of the communities.

Sosa said that the government and the rebels were fighting for mass support.

“Sila man ang ginailogan both sides. The doctrine of CTG clearly declares that "ang masa lamang, ang gumuguhit sa kasaysayan” - the metaphors of kung walang tubig, walang isda (Both sides are competing for them. The doctrine of CTG clearly declares that “only the mass draws the history” – the metaphors of if there is no water, there is no fish),” he said.

Saguino also underscored that the residents in areas, where insurgency used to be strong, and affected stakeholders, including the business sector, were the most passionate in sustaining the insurgency-free status.

Under the Barangay Development Program (BDP), the farm-to-market road at Purok 5, Barangay Gubatan in Maco, Davao de Oro, has been improved and rehabilitated. The road project is worth around P3 million and was completed on September 17, 2021.

Since 2016, villages in the provinces started to reject the rebels and declared CPP-NPA and the National Democratic Front (NDF) as persona non grata in the area.

With the mass support and focused military operations, 401 barangays of the cities and provinces in the Davao Region were cleared with guerilla front operations in 2022.

President Ferdinand Marcos, together with Special Assistant to the President Sec. Antonio Lagdameo, inspects the firearms seized from the surrendered and focused military operation against the New People’s Army in the region during the formal declaration of the Insurgency-Free Davao Region on October 27,2022. Photo: PIA Region XI

On March 24, 2022, Davao City was the first to be declared insurgency-free; followed by Davao del Sur on May 24, Davao del Norte on June 13, Davao Occidental on June 16, Davao de Oro on June 22, and Davao Oriental on September 19.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  formally declared Davao as an insurgency-free region on October 27, 2022, following the resolution of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) Region XI dated October 12, 2022.

According to the report from the 10th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, the region defeated 15 guerilla fronts (GF), six Pulang Bagani Commands (PBC), and four Sub-Regional Committees (SRC), all under the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SMRC)

From 2016 to 2022, the Army reported a total of 437 encounters with communist armed rebels, resulting in neutralizing 1,749 NPA members and seizing of 1,579 firearms.

Also, around 10,000 members of the underground mass organization (UGMO) surrendered and rebuked the communist movement.

Currently, the former rebels, including their mass support, have benefited from several government programs including financial support from the local government units, and the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program as well as livelihood assistance from national government agencies. (MLU - PIA Davao)

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Kate Shiene Austria

Information Officer III

Information Officer III under the Creative and Production Services Division of the Philippine Information Agency. 

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