Insurgency problem no longer a threat to peace and security in Palawan

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 17): Insurgency problem no longer a threat to peace and security in Palawan

Insurgency problem in Palawan is now manageable and no longer poses a threat to its peace and security, the Western Command (Wescom) Headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) announced. Lieutenant Col. Edwin Alaba, commander of the Operations Department of the Wescom, said because of this development, they are ready to turn over (the peace and security) responsibility to the Philippine National Police (PNP) so they could concentrate on major concerns in their area of responsibility (AOR). Alaba said the activities of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in Palawan have been downgraded “to manageable,“ (a level) that the police can already handle. In response, Police Senior Superintendent Abad Osit said they are ready to accept the responsibility because they have already trained their personnel to deal with the province’s insurgency problem. Currently, 35 barangays in the city and the province are considered “threatened” due to reported presence of the armed men. “However, we have not received any report of members of the CPP-NPA committing crimes, or even collecting revolutionary taxes, so we are ready for the plan of the Wescom,” he said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=472290