AFP: winning the peace needs convergence of efforts

From the Philippine Information Agency (Mar 2): AFP: winning the peace needs convergence of efforts

In a move to win the peace in Western Visayas,  the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Bayanihan has converged efforts of all stakeholders in the region.

As said by Major General John Bonafos, Central Command Commander based in Camp Lapu-Lapu City during a Peace Forum in Negros Occidental, "Winning the peace cannot be done by the AFP or the PNP alone. We need the concerted efforts of every citizen and for each to lend a helping hand for peace to reign and development to happen in this part of the country."

As reported by MGen. Aurelio Baladad, Commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, in 2013, the 3rd ID was able to neutralize 66 CPP-NPA-NDF (CNN) members where 44 have abandoned the armed struggle and joined mainstream society; 17 were arrested with warrants, captured or apprehended and 5 were killed in encounters. A total of 44 NPA camps were also captured in the whole region with Negros registering the highest at 24.

The return of several NPA members to mainstream society and abandoning their camps are indications of the waning CNN group in the region. According to these former rebels, the armed struggle is a futile cause and not a solution to societal problems. They also appreciated the efforts of the military, LGUs and government agencies, civil society organizations and the people themselves who have been working together in the spirit of Bayanihan in addressing the issues especially in the countryside.

In 2013, the province of Antique was declared as Manageable Conflict-Affected and Development Ready province with the the 3rd ID able to degrade the CNN capabilities of further expanding their group. No record of encounter has been recorded with the NPA in the province in the last two years.

While the province of Aklan has been declared as insurgency-free in December 2011. Baladad said that "we are looking forward to other provinces in Western Visayas to be free from communist affectation in the near future. We will continue our efforts this year and work even more together with other stakeholders in pursuing our goal for the region to be insurgents free and move faster towards development."

http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=971393577638