COTABATO CITY (July 28) — The surrender of armed groups may have reduced the threat of conflict in parts of Cotabato province, but local officials and the military now face a bigger challenge: turning hard-won peace into lasting security, basic services, and livelihood opportunities for communities once caught in the crossfire.
Local executives and the Army’s 10th Infantry Division are expanding cooperation on peacebuilding efforts in the province, particularly in areas declared cleared of New People’s Army (NPA) presence in recent years.
The move was discussed during a meeting Friday between Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza, 10th ID commander Maj. Gen. Alvin Luzon, and other military officers at the governor’s office in Kidapawan City, the provincial capital.
The talks focused on sustaining peace initiatives in the province’s hinterlands, where communities have long faced the effects of armed conflict and limited access to government services.
The 10th ID, headquartered at Camp Manuel Yan in Mawab, Davao de Oro, has two units operating in Cotabato—the 72nd and 39th Infantry Battalions.
Cotabato has emerged as a potential investment frontier in Central Mindanao, but officials acknowledge that economic opportunities will mean little if remote communities remain vulnerable to violence, poverty, and weak access to basic services.
Since 2023, local governments and provincial officials have supported the military and police in efforts that resulted in the surrender of 412 members of the NPA and 534 members of the now-defunct Dawlah Islamiya and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, according to authorities.
The former armed group members surrendered in batches in areas near the Ligawasan Delta.
But the end of armed activity is only one part of the peace process.
For communities in Magpet, Arakan, Antipas, and President Quirino—areas where the NPA once operated—the challenge now is to ensure that former conflict zones do not simply become places where armed encounters have stopped, but communities where people can safely build stable lives.
Municipal and barangay officials said their multisectoral peace and order councils support the peacekeeping initiatives of the 10th ID, the 6th Infantry Division, the Cotabato Provincial Police Office, and the provincial government.
Mayors Rolando Recinto of Midsayap and Evangeline Guzman of Kabacan separately expressed support for the continuing peace and security efforts.
For the Army, however, the work does not end with the surrender of combatants.
Luzon credited the administration of Taliño-Mendoza and local mayors for helping reintegrate former NPA members into mainstream society.
The next test will be whether these former combatants—and the communities where they once operated—can find sustainable livelihoods, access government services, and rebuild trust in institutions.
Cotabato’s peacebuilding efforts therefore face a broader measure of success: not simply how many rebels have surrendered, but whether former conflict-affected communities can experience tangible improvements in their daily lives.
For a province seeking to position itself as an investment destination, lasting peace will ultimately depend on more than military presence. It will require roads, schools, health services, jobs, functioning local institutions, and opportunities that give communities a reason to protect the peace they have gained.
The meeting between provincial officials and the Army signals continued cooperation. But for Cotabato residents, the real promise of peace will be measured in what happens after the guns fall silent.
