Gov’t anti-insurgency efforts gain ground in Eastern Samar

From the Leyte Samar Daily Express (Dec 18): Gov’t anti-insurgency efforts gain ground in Eastern Samar

HINABANGAN,Samar – A military commander based here claims substantial gains of the government’s efforts in the fight against insurgency in the province of Eastern Samar. Col. Romeo Labador, commanding officer of 801st Infantry Brigade of the 8th Infantry Division, Philippine Army, based in Barangay Fatima, this town, said that the peace and order situation in the province has greatly improved and “it is now more or less stable” Labador pointed out that Eastern Samar,once considered as the hotbed of insurgency, “is now considerably peaceful and the frequent rebel-military encounters are now a thing of the past.” He told reporters that out of the 22 municipalities and one city in the province, seven towns and the capital city of Borongan have been declared by the military and the local government units concerned as “development-ready.” He also told reporters that another three towns in the southern part of the province – Salcedo, Mercedes and Guiuan – have been declared as insurgency-free already.

Labador, however clarified that it does not mean to say that there are no more rebels in the declared development-ready towns. He admitted that there are still rebels in these areas. However, the “situation is manageable already” because the insurgents are not anymore encamped in these areas and also due to the decline of the rebel forces operating and the mass-base support, Labador said. Labador informed reporters that with these developments, the military and the police are now in the support role in terms of the solution for the internal security problems and in the maintenance and promotion of the peace and order in these ten towns and in the provincial capital city of Borongan.  He averred that it is mandated by law that the local government units are the responsible and the lead actors for the internal security problems and for the maintenance and promotions of the peace and order, “but then behind them are the joint efforts of the police and the military.” He said that he is optimistic that sooner or later more towns in the province will be declared as development-ready municipalities and eventually the whole province of Eastern Samar.

http://leytesamardaily.net/2012/12/govt-anti-insurgency-efforts-gain-ground-in-eastern-samar/