Military to adopt Bohol's model in peace and development

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 20): Military to adopt Bohol's model in peace and development

Military units have been ordered to replicate Bohol's “Development for Peace” program to their areas of responsibility. This was according to Col. Rafael Valencia, the new commander of the 802nd Brigade, who recently paid a courtesy call to Gov. Edgar Chatto and the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC). Valencia assured that his new leadership will continue the support what his predecessor had extended to Bohol as the military fully supports the effort to sustain peace in the province and neighboring areas. Valencia said during the command conference last week at the Central Command in Cebu, they were ordered to “look at Bohol as model and try to replicate Bohol's experience in other areas in Visayas to achieve peace and development." The 802nd Brigade of the Philippine Army covers Biliran in Leyte, Southern Leyte, some areas in Cebu, and Bohol.

Col. Dinoh Dolina, commander of the Cebu-Bohol Task Group said the military hierarchy also embraced the provincial government’s purok movement:community development on which Liza Quirog, head of the technical working group, gave a presentation during the meeting on Wednesday last week. During the recent PPOC meeting, Dolina reported that in the second week of November, young men aged 15-20 were monitored in Barangays San Isidro and Candavid, in Maribojoc during night time. They brought sacks and back packs with unknown contents. They were believed to be organizing and contacting their former mass members in the area at the same time.  On November 30 at around 2 o’clock in the afternoon, some 50 members of KABATAAN-PLG aged 15-19 commemorated Bonifacio Day by conducting a rally in front of City Square, waving placards with markings: “Taasan ang sahod ng mga teachers” and “Junk anti-cyber crime law” and dispersed peacefully at about two hours later.

Dolina said that the legal fronts of the rebels continue intensifying mass work and alliance building to recover/rebuild at least one front committee early next year. “They magnify current controversial issues against the government as part of its political agenda to remain relevant in the province of Bohol,” according to Dolina.  To brace, the military continue current “Winning the Peace” efforts putting emphasis on: improving the implementation of PROTEAMs Operations, actively participate in Inter-Agency Alliances and Collaboration utilizing the established flatforms. and intensifying pro-active patrols /checkpoints. Dolina also assured strict adherence to human rights by the men in uniform, citing the report of Commission on Human Rights Chair Etta Rosales that human rights violations involving men in uniform had reduced. On the other hand, the visit of Chatto as PPOC and RPOC-7 chair to military detachments in the province raised the morale of the military, he added.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=481300