DAVAO CITY –—The Philippine Army’s 1002nd Infantry Brigade based in Sarangani province said that “it is closing in on the few straggling Guerilla Front 57 of Sub-Regional Committee (SRC) 5, Southern Mindanao Regional Command (SMRC) of the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, in the Southern part of Bukidnon province.
Bukidnon was once part of the bastion of the communist party’s 51 years of insurgency. In the last two decades, the provinces dismantled many guerrilla fronts, with many armed rebels crossing into the Agusan and Surigao provinces.
Colonel Patricio Amata, the new commander of the 1002nd Brigade said that they have already cleared the provinces of Davao Occidental, Davao del Sur, and North Cotabato and are now insurgency-free and ready for development.
“Also, four municipalities of Sarangani province namely Malungon, Alabel, Malapatan, and Glan have already been cleared from the affectation or influence of CPP-NPA,” Amata added.
Amata added that the challenge now is how to sustain peace, “Because we should understand that in order to sustain the peace, we need to address the root causes or drivers of conflict” Amata said.
Amata added that the government must strengthen the relationship and coordination of the troops with the people and other stakeholders in order to sustain the achieved peace.
He said that sustaining the gains of peace entails multi-sectoral approaches and it includes inclusivity because, in research and experiences in other countries, peace became more sustainable if it is done by people affected or impacted by the conflict.
“It should be a bottom-up approach. We have been collaborating locally with the different local government units even with other government agencies because we already have a mechanism – the Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC),” Amata said.-Eugene Hinutan
