Military, police assure full control of peace, order in 'Pablo'-hit Davao Oriental provinces

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 4): Military, police assure full control of peace, order in 'Pablo'-hit Davao Oriental provinces

Authorities assured full control of the peace and order condition in Boston, Cateel and Baganga, Davao Oriental two months after typhoon "Pablo" hit the East Coast communities last December 4.
Col. Rey Leonardo Guerrero, commander of the 701st Infantry Brigade based in this city, who handles the anti-insurgency campaign in the area said on Monday that police and military authorities were able to thwart efforts of communist rebels to regain lost grounds after they were displaced by the storm.

Guerrero said typhoon "Pablo" also destroyed the known rebel fronts in Davao Oriental. He said the rebels took advantage of the cessation of hostilities to recover the areas they previously had influenced on during the Yuletide Season, but their plans were pre-empted by the government security forces. “We are taking advantage of the rebels’ absence here by maintaining our presence in the mobility corridors in order to prevent their influx in our areas,” Guerrero said.

He said the rebels practically left the East Coast area and sought refuge in Compostela Valley Province. He also lauded the local residents who made a stand in driving away members of the progressive organizations which allegedly attempted to organize them to stage protest rallies against the relief distribution effort of the government, the day after a barricade was set up in Montevista and Compostela, along the Agusan-Davao National Highway.

Guerrero also said the peace and development teams earlier deployed in the barangays were reconfigured into community development teams to help in the reconstruction of houses and to revive the livelihood projects.

He said a contingent from the Naval Construction Battalion arrived in Cateel on Thursday and the 544th Engineering Battalion reinforced the reconstruction effort spearheaded by the Task Force Tambayayong of the Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom). “We are working closely with the Davao Oriental Provincial Government. The police and military support not only in the security but also in manpower assistance,” Guerrero said.

Sr. Supt. Jose Carumba, director of the Davao Oriental Police Office, said the local police now provide security in the delivery of goods to the typhoon survivors after shifting its activities from retrieval operation. He said in order to reach out to more number of survivors, the food distribution is being done by the barangays.

Carumba said they also investigated barangay officials who allegedly hoarded relief goods. "We deployed our intelligence units to check the veracity of the alleged hoarding of goods by local officials. Incidentally, the investigation turned out negative,” he said.

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