Army endorses Pangasinan to be declared as insurgency-free

From the Philippine Information Agency (Oct 4): Army endorses Pangasinan to be declared as insurgency-free

A field unit of the Philippine Army has endorsed the province of Pangasinan as insurgency-free in the national level after a recent successful validation conference in Lingayen, Pangasinan, according to Lieutenant Colonel Eugenio Julio Osias IV, the spokesperson of the army’s 7th Infantry Division (7ID)

Osias said on Friday that on June 13, 2018, a joint recommendation between the army’s 702nd Infantry Brigade, an operation unit of 7ID and the Pangasinan police provincial office was signed, endorsing Pangasinan to be declared as insurgency-free.

A requirement prior to the declaration of Pangasinan as insurgency-free is a pronouncement of the Area Clearing Evaluation Board (ACEB) that the province is cleared of local terrorist groups (LTGs) and the Communist NPA terrorists (CNTs).

“The main agenda of our recent ACEB meeting in Lingayen, Pangasinan is to evaluate the area clearing conducted by the Area Clearing Evaluation Team (ACET) based on given parameters that qualifies an area to be an insurgency-free,” Osias said.

“In the local level, we already certified Pangasinan as insurgency-free province,” he added.

Leading the Philippine Army’s group during the meeting was Brigadier General Lenard T. Agustin, the assistant division commander of the army’s 7ID based in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija and the current ACEB chair, while representing the province of Pangasinan was Governor Amado I. Espino III.

“Upon the endorsement by the army’s 7ID on Pangasinan as insurgency-free, the Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will revalidate for the national level declaration,” said Osias.

“I’m optimistic that before year ends, Pangasinan will finally be declared as insurgency-free in the national level,” he added.

Once Pangasinan is declared as insurgency-free in the national level, he said this will boost economic investments and opportunities in the province.

Meanwhile, Major General Felimon T. Santos, Jr., the commanding general of the army’s 7ID, assured to the people of Pangasinan that the 7ID will still give its support to the development programs of the province and will always lend a hand whenever help is needed despite of it being declared as insurgency-free.

https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1013485