Thursday, August 15, 2019

Task force seeks to end armed conflict in Zambo Norte

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 15, 2019): Task force seeks to end armed conflict in Zambo Norte


Troops belonging to the Army's 97th infantry Battalion undergo tactical squad training and marksmanship training in Punta Blanca, Manukan, Zamboanga del Norte. (PNA photo by Gualberto M. Laput)

MANUKAN, Zamboanga del Norte – The Army’s 97th Infantry Battalion based in this town sent off its “Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP) Teams” as part of the Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTFELCAC) that is activated in Dipolog City on Thursday.

“In sending off, we are not moving out, we are just deploying our RCSP teams to barangays infiltrated by NPA (New People’s Army) and find out why people are supporting insurgency,”
Lt. Col. John Andrada, Army’s 97th Infantry Battalion commander, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in an interview at the battalion headquarters here.


The creation of PTFELCAC is in response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order 70 that institutionalizes the "whole of nation approach" in attaining inclusive and sustainable peace, to create a national task force to end local communist armed conflict and to come up with a national peace framework.

“We are just part of PTFELCAC, the local government units – the governor and mayors – are spearheading the task force, which is composed of national offices, including the Philippine National Police and state universities and colleges,” Andrada said.

However, the military, through its RCSP teams and augmented by the police, will be the lead implementor, he said.

“And once these teams identify the root problems, the LGUs and national government agencies will follow for its resolution,” he added.

Andrada said the nationwide approach is based on the lessons learned over the years that "you cannot stop insurgency through military option alone."

“Ang solusyon ay trabaho, pagkain, o daanan lang pala, o kausapin lang pala (“The solution is jobs, food or only through negotiations),” Andrada said.

“Dapat malaman ni governor at ni mayor kung ano talaga ang root causes ng problema para mabigyan nang pangmatagalang solusyon kasama ang national government agencies (The governor and mayor must know the root causes of the problem so that a lasting solution can be adopted together with the national government agencies),” he said.

Andrada said he received reports of NPA recruitment in the province, but added that “these are minimal.”

“In fact, the number of NPA fighters as of now in Zamboanga del Norte has declined, hindi na sila umabot ng 100 (They have not reached 100) armed fighters. This year, meron na nga tayong (they already have) five surrenderers,” Andrada said.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1077893

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