Nearly 200 participants from the National and Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) gathered in Cebu Wednesday for the Visayas leg of the Major Island Group Summits to chart a roadmap for an insurgency-free Philippines by 2020.
NTF-ELCAC Vice Chair Hermogenes Esperon Jr. (REY BANIQUET / Presidential Photo / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
NTF-ELCAC Vice Chair Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said that during the one-day event the task force’s secretariat provided updates on its undertakings and presented guidelines.
“This is the third major island summit. There was one in Mindanao last October 10 and October 14 in Manila with eight task forces in attendance,” Esperon said.
The group conducts the summits in preparation for the upcoming National Summit with President Duterte, he said.
Esperon added that the Regional Task Force through the and the Technical Working Group (TWG) heads presented updates, accomplishments, issues, and concerns in line with the implementation of the ELCAC national/regional/local plans.
Office of the Presidential Assistant for Visayas (OPAV) Secretary Michael Dino has been designated as Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security (CORDS) for Central Visayas and will facilitate the implementation of the programs as contained in the roadmap.
Based on the data from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Visayas Central Command (CentCom), as of last January, there were 322 insurgency-affected barangays in the three regions in the Visayas.
CentCom said it has had 74 encounters with communist rebels; 22 of them were in Negros Island, 15 in Panay Island, 35 in Samar and two in Leyte.
The 10 key leaders of the communist insurgents in the Visayas regions have been neutralized including Frank Fernandez, secretary of the Komite Rehiyon-Negros Cebu Bohol Siquijor (KR NCBS).
CentCom said 520 communist supporters had surrendered and the military has driven out the rebels from 31 barangays.
CentCom commander Gen. Dinoh Dolina said there are about 160 barangays still under the influence of the rebel.
“Our timeline is March 2020 to clear at least eight of the 11 communist rebel fronts in the Visayas area specifically in region 8,” Dolina said.
“This is the third major island summit. There was one in Mindanao last October 10 and October 14 in Manila with eight task forces in attendance,” Esperon said.
The group conducts the summits in preparation for the upcoming National Summit with President Duterte, he said.
Esperon added that the Regional Task Force through the and the Technical Working Group (TWG) heads presented updates, accomplishments, issues, and concerns in line with the implementation of the ELCAC national/regional/local plans.
Office of the Presidential Assistant for Visayas (OPAV) Secretary Michael Dino has been designated as Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security (CORDS) for Central Visayas and will facilitate the implementation of the programs as contained in the roadmap.
Based on the data from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Visayas Central Command (CentCom), as of last January, there were 322 insurgency-affected barangays in the three regions in the Visayas.
CentCom said it has had 74 encounters with communist rebels; 22 of them were in Negros Island, 15 in Panay Island, 35 in Samar and two in Leyte.
The 10 key leaders of the communist insurgents in the Visayas regions have been neutralized including Frank Fernandez, secretary of the Komite Rehiyon-Negros Cebu Bohol Siquijor (KR NCBS).
CentCom said 520 communist supporters had surrendered and the military has driven out the rebels from 31 barangays.
CentCom commander Gen. Dinoh Dolina said there are about 160 barangays still under the influence of the rebel.
“Our timeline is March 2020 to clear at least eight of the 11 communist rebel fronts in the Visayas area specifically in region 8,” Dolina said.
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