OROQUIETA CITY, Misamis Occidental (PIA)--"Peace, order, and security are critical components of a healthy and prosperous society. Without peace, our road to progress is doomed to fail because conflict shatters lives and stunts development."
In his second State of the Province Address (SOPA), Gov. Henry Oaminal says history tells people that the road to peace in the province has been challenging.
"Our province, particularly Ozamiz City, was once restricted by various crimes and was even tagged as the drug and organized Crime Group Capital of the Philippines because of the presence of Kuratong Baleleng Gang. Our province had also been a rebel-infested area," he said.
However, due to strong law enforcement and the local government's collective efforts, Oaminal said the province was able to dismantle organized crimes and other criminal elements, and they are now reaping their benefits.
In his SOPA, Governor Henry Oaminal puts a premium on the maintenance of peace and order in the province as a precondition to economic progress. The goal of the administration is to be a drug-free, crime-free, and insurgency-free Misamis Occidental," he said.
To win the hearts of the Guerilla members to go back to mainstream society and live a peaceful and progressive life, the provincial government is offering a cash reward to rebel surrenderees like the two high-ranking and two members of the CPP-NPA who acceded to this call, extending a total of P500,000 each for the high-ranking CPP-NPA and P300,000 each for the rank-and-file members.
By offering such a substantial reward, the governor is sending a clear message that we do value the decision of individuals to leave behind a life of violence and embrace a new life of peace and stability.
"Our collaboration efforts did not fail us because, as reported by our Battalion Commander of the 10thIB Col. Jose Andre Monje, the Guerilla Front members in the province are now down to 15 from 20 in 2022. With this development, we are hopeful that by the end of this year, we can achieve our goal of an insurgency-free Misamis Occidental," he said.
The administration has also intensified its commitment to combating illegal drugs through a multi-faceted approach that combines law enforcement, prevention, rehabilitation, and community engagement.
Under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration, or ECLIP Program, the provincial government of Misamis Occidental, headed by Governor Oaminal, was able to provide P20,000 each to more than a hundred former rebels through the DSWD Sustainable Livelihood Program. The provincial government also provided P3,000 worth of food packs to each former rebel.
As part of the initiative of the province, the Asenso Misamis Occidental Balay Silangan Reformatory Center at Barangay Kimat, Tangub City, a Provincial Drug Reformatory Center, will be an area where persons involved with drugs in Misamis Occidental will be enrolled and will be given appropriate interventions.
"Through community-based initiatives, we foster an environment of trust, support, and collective responsibility in our quest for a drug-free province. With all our efforts, in January of this year, the province was recognized as one of the 40 outstanding LGUs in the region in the fight against illegal drugs," he reported.
Oaminal also continued to strengthen the military force, equipping it with the necessary resources and training to combat insurgencies effectively.
"We provided support to our 1,009 CADRE and CAFGU Active Auxiliaries (CAAS) of Patrol bases, our 400 Barangay Intelligence Network, strengthened our 600 Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team (BPATS) and volunteers, and provided mission-essential equipment and vehicles as support to the mobilization of assets for 10IB, 1ID, and the Pilippine Army," the governor shared.
As part of the maintenance of peace and order and to provide the barangay with vehicles that they can use for mobilization, especially during emergency and peacekeeping activities, governor Henry Oaminal shared that the provincial government has already distributed 100 rescue and patrol vehicles to different barangays in the province.
They also distributed another 100 vehicles to the second batch of barangays of Aloran, Bonifacio, Plaridel, Sapang Dalaga, Lopez Jaena, Conception, Tangub, and Calamba during his SOPA.
"We are optimistic that with the support of our two congressmen, we will be able to provide all the 490 barangays in the province with rescue and patrol vehicles within my first three-year term," Oaminal added.
In support of the ‘Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan,' or BIDA Program of President BongBong Marcos (PBBM), the provincial government intensified its barangay drug clearing program resulting from the declaration of 437 out of 490 barangays as drug-cleared barangays.
Oaminal also said the remaining 53 barangays are currently doing their best and complying with the requirements to be declared as such as soon as possible. (SMRN/PIA-10/Misamis Occidental)
