‘Bantay Bayanihan' Visayas

From the Visayan Daily Star (Oct 23): ‘Bantay Bayanihan' Visayas
assessing peace, security

Ranking officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and key civil society leaders met for the Bantay Bayanihan Visayas Cluster meeting early this week in Dumaguete City.

The meeting was to discuss peace and security issues and local assessments in the Visayas cluster, Marrietta Jambora, its lead convenor, said.

Some provinces in regions 6, 7 and 8 in the Visayas have already been declared “conflict manageable and development ready” and are now comparing notes on how they are faring, she added.

Officials of the AFP's Central Command in the Visayas were invited to discuss the current indicators of the AFP, specifically the declaration of some provinces as “conflict manageable and development ready”, Jambora said.

Some of the participants came from Samar, Leyte, Cebu, and Bacolod, Jambora said.

The Bantay Bayanihan is a group composed of civil society representations to monitor the AFP's Internal Peace and Security Plan.

Present were Brig. Gen. Romeo Labador, CENTCOM deputy commander; Maj. Gen. Rey Leonardo Guerrero, commander of the 3 rd Infantry Division, based in Jamindan, Capiz; Col. Jon Aying, commander of the 303 rd Brigade in Negros Occidental; Col. Allan Martin, commander of the 302 nd Brigade in Negros Oriental, Col. Eric Uchida, commander of the 301 st Brigade, Senior Supt. Mariano Natu-el, OIC provincial police director of Negros Oriental, and Col. Philip Lapinid of CENTCOM.

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2014/October/23/negor1.htm