DAVAO CITY — For the first time ever, the political and civic leaders together with the residents of Patikul town in Sulu signed a peace covenant with the government and military authorities declaring the terrorist bandits Abu Sayyaf in their town persona non grata.
The military’s Western Command chief Maj. Gen. Corleto Vinluan said the Patikul Peoples Peace Covenant dubbed Patikul Parjanjian is a collective oath of people of Patikul and Sulu in general.
“It is centered on the core belief in Islam mentioned in the Holy Quran that believers ( Muslims ) enjoins good and forbids wrongdoing” he stressed.
The people, according to Vinluan, condemns the evil act of ASG “This is the first time before there were apprehension and anxiety among stakeholders, but the recent attacks by the terrorist groups have given the people of Patikul the courage to turn their back against the bandits,” he told Newsline in an interview.
The people of Patikul are aware that the bandits are moving within their periphery, but they are not in a strong position to fight against the group given the fear and security issues which at first no one can guarantee.
The shores and hinterlands of Patikul is the remaining lair of the Radulan Sahiron, the oldest ASG leader, and Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, whose group is known to have ties with foreign terrorists.
Government troops, through military-focused operations, are continuously tracking down the groups of Sahiron and Sawadjaan in the hinterlands of Patikul.
Patikul is a third-class town of Sulu with 30 barangays with a population of 62,287 based on the Philippine Statistics Authority population survey in 2015.
With the peace covenant and the declaration of persona non grata, Vinluan said “We work together with the community because they know this redounds to their socio-economic welfare because they want to live in peace”.
The peace pact was signed by the political-civic leaders of Patikul along with the people while the government was represented by Vinluan.
The signed document includes the following declaration:
1. To prevent the presence of Abusayaf Group and lawless elements in the vicinity of their barangays;
2. Report their presence;
3. Follow rule of law in settling disputes;
4. Declare ASG as persona non grata;
5. Estab and empower barangay based Islamic traditional institutions to prevent and counter violent extremism;
6. Empower Muslim family to harden and prevent a family member from being swayed away by the extremists;
7. Collaborate and converge all govt efforts to establish institutions that will strengthen public safety and security, such as integrated community defense systems such as BPATs, Tanods, and CAFGUS, and the AFP and PNP, including efforts to address both the push and pull factors of violent extremism.
The pact was agreed and signed by the political and civic leaders of the municipal government of Patikul, Sulu, in partnership with the Joint Task Force Sulu on August 27, at the Municipal Hall.
Other signatories include Brig. Gen. William Gonzales, JTF Sulu Commander; Brig. Gen. Ignatius Patrimonio, 1102nd Infantry Brigade Commander; Col. Antonio Bautista, Jr., 1101st Infantry Brigade Commander; Police Col. Michael Bawayan, Jr., OIC Provincial Director, Sulu PPO; Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan; Patikul Mayor Kabir Hayudini; Patikul Vice-Mayor Datu Pulaus Tarsum.
The attendees pledged to collectively act and support efforts to ensure the attainment of peace and order in all the barangays of Patikul.
Sulu Governor Abdulsakur Tan encouraged the people to cooperate with the government’s effort and together they work for peace.-Editha Z. Caduaya/Newsline.ph
