REBELS UNWELCOME. Resolution No. 1 series of 2019 passed by the Municipal Peace and Order Council of Cuartero, Capiz on May 8, condemns the atrocities relentlessly committed by the Communist Program of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA). The town of Cuartero was the first to declare CPP-NPA as persona non grata in the province of Capiz. (Photo courtesy of 3ID Public Affairs Office)
ILOILO CITY -- Cuartero town in Capiz province has declared the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) as persona non grata.
The Municipal Peace and Order Council Resolution No. 1, released on May 8 and presented to the media on Thursday, condemned the atrocities committed by the terrorist group.
“Since the establishment of the CPP, the group has engaged in guerrilla warfare against the government forces, believing armed revolution to be the solution to replace what it considers the current oppressive system,” part of the resolution said.
The same resolution added that the presence of the rebel group has threatened the security and development in the municipality and its people.
Maj. Gen. Dinoh Dolina, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division (3ID), has lauded the efforts of Cuartero in such a declaration.
In a statement, Dolina emphasized that the populace should not anymore allow the rebels to ruin the country’s peace and progress.
“Terrorists like them do not have a space in the society,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Joel Benedict Batara, commander of the Army’s 61st Infantry Battalion (61IB) said the Community Support Program (CSP) teams have been deployed in the villages of San Antonio, Carataya, Puti-an, and Mahnod-Hunod, all of Cuartero, to address the insurgency issues.
Batara said 37 Militia ng Bayan (MB) members and 23 Mass Base supporters from Barangay Carataya, San Antonio and Mahunod-hunod have pledged their oath of commitment to the government in February.
In March, 49 mass-based supporters from Sitio Tigpaka Daku, San Antonio has also pledged their allegiance to the government.
Government troops, through the CSP, have gained the confidence of the local populace, who have voiced their needs and concerns.
In a recent press conference, Capt. Ruel Llanes, Civil-Military Operation Officer of the 301st Infantry Brigade, said the Army currently facilitates the entry of farm equipment, as needed by the locals in the mentioned villages.
Capt. Mary Grace Socorro Borio, Cuartero municipal police chief, said such a declaration was made through the combined efforts of the police and the Army.
The locals in the four villages were swayed to join the rebels because they first believed that the government does not look after them.
“We won the hearts and minds of the community in villages where CSP teams of the Army were deployed. We were able to convince them that the government is ready to hear and respond to their needs,” she said in a phone interview Thursday.
She has urged other municipal police stations in the province to also exert efforts in declaring the CPP-NPA as persona non grata.
The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1076035
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