SUPPORT TEAMS DEPLOYMENT. Men of the Philippine Army's 61st Infantry Battalion (61IB) on Monday (July 22, 2019) prepare for their deployment in five villages in Calinog town, Iloilo. The 61IB command said the Army will be deployed as part of the Community Support Program which aims to solve insurgency in villages with rebel influence. (Photo courtesy of 61IB)
ILOILO CITY -- The Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) deployed on Monday 10 Community Support Program (CSP) teams to address the insurgency problem in five villages in Calinog town, Iloilo.
The CSP teams of the 61st Infantry Battalion (61IB), local government officials of Calinog, regional officials of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), among others, were present at the send-off ceremony at Camp General Ceferino S. Carreon, Libot village, Calinog.
Lt. Col. Joel Benedict Batara, commander of the 61IB, said the villages of Guinbonyugan, Supanga, Binolosan Grande, Binolosan Pequeño and Manaripay will each have two CSP teams in their areas.
“Their purpose is to facilitate the convergence of stakeholders or facilitate the synchronized implementation of government services programs and projects,” Batara said in an interview Monday.
The CSP teams will also empower the LGU and the locals to address specific problems, one of which is the insurgency problem.
“Our teams will clear the minds of the locals there,” he said, noting that these villages are “influence” villages of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).
He described Calinog town as the “mobility corridor” which rebels use as a passageway from time to time.
“They influence the people and sometimes they recruit their men from the villages,” he said.
According to him, leftist groups spread fake information on the ongoing construction of the Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project (JRMP) II.
The PHP11.2-billion JRMP II, which is one of the flagship projects of the government, held its ceremonial groundbreaking on February 27.
Batara said the leftist group tells Calinog locals the mega-dam will lead to their “dislocation" among others.
“They poison the minds of the people. We will coordinate with the National Irrigation Administration to explain to them the benefits of the mega-dam,” he said.
The CSP teams will serve as facilitators to gather and coordinate with the right agencies that conduct information drives in the villages.
Meanwhile, Batara said the locals in the villages should take advantage of the presence of the CSP teams in their area.
“This is a people-oriented program and I hope each family, each sector should support this. This is not meant to destroy anyone. We facilitate the entry of government services and we address terrorism and insurgency,” he stressed, adding that ending insurgency calls for the cooperation of anyone.
The CSP teams will render a weekly development in their area of assignment, he said.
Batara said their deployment will last for three to six months depending on how it can empower the LGU and the village officials.
“The villages are expected to establish their own internal defense system that even without the Army, the people can protect themselves from any mechanisms of the rebels,” he said.
With the CSP deployment and coordination of the LGU, Batara is positive that inclusive and sustainable peace will be attained.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1075636
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