Thursday, January 23, 2020

“Whole of nation approach” against insurgency gains ground in Region 1

From the Philippine Information Agency (Jan 24, 2020): “Whole of nation approach” against insurgency gains ground in Region 1 (By Freddie G. Lazaro)

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union, Jan. 24 (PIA) - The implementation of the Whole of Nation Approach to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) is gaining ground in Region 1 as many New People’s Army (NPA) rebels are yielding to authorities while government development projects and services continuous to pour in the far-flung communities.

At the end of 2019, a total of 31 NPA rebels who surrendered to government troops in the region, were validated as qualified recipients of the Enhanced Comprehensive Livelihood Integration Program (ECLIP). The ECLIP is one of the 12 lines of efforts (LoEs) or clusters of the Regional Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF– ELCAC).

According to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region 1, 11 former rebels from La Union (10 rebels) and Ilocos Sur (1 rebel) have received the ECLIP financial assistance amounting to PHP826,000.00 before the end of 2019. The 20 other former rebels will still receive their cash assistance amounting to Php1.3 million this January 2020.

Out of the total ECLIP assistance for the 31 NPA rebel returnees, the reintegration assistance amounting to Php21,000.00 from each rebel recipient shall be deducted from it which will be given to the agencies or units where the rebel surrendered.

Of the number of surrenderees, 18 NPA rebels yielded to authorities in Ilocos Sur; 12 in La Union, and one in Pangasinan.

Colonel Audrey L. Pasia, the commander of the 702nd Infantry Brigade, cited that the whole nation approach on ELCAC as mandated by Executive Order Number 70 had played a big part in the motivation of the 31 NPA rebels in the region to return to the fold of the law.

“This is now the outcome of the collaboration and teamwork of all government agencies as stated in the EO 70. I’m expecting that more NPA rebels operating in the region will be encouraged to surrender this year,” Pasia said.

Secretary Hermogenes Esperon Jr., the National Security Adviser and the Cabinet Officer Responsible for Development and Security (CORDS) for Region 1, commended all government agencies for the initial achievement on the implementation of EO 70 in the region.


Secretary Hermogenes C. Esperon Jr., the National Security Adviser and the Cabinet Officer Responsible for Development and Security (CORDS) for Region 1, presides over the 4th Quarter 2019 Joint RDC-RPOC meeting in EM Royale, San Juan, La Union on December 10, 2019. (Photo by Joanne Namnama P. Dilim/PIA1) 

He is hopeful that all provinces in Region 1 will be declared as insurgency- free before the end of the term of President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

“Region 1 is in a better condition as compared to other regions as there is no major threat from the communist group. However, the region should not be complacent as the region is vulnerable to the influence of the legal fronts of the Communist Terrorist Groups (CTGs), particularly in the dissemination of their propaganda,” Esperon said.

“As we organized ourselves in the 1st Quarter 2019 and established the RTF- ELCAC, we were able to align our efforts to the focused areas in our region. We were able to implement our programs and activities not only to insurgency affected but also to the insurgency-threatened areas, particularly the Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs),” said Esperon.

To institutionalize the implementation of the EO 70 in Region 1, down to the barangay level, 46 local task forces were created which include four provincial task forces, 15 cities/municipal task forces and 27 barangay task forces in Ilocos Sur.

“The RTF1-ELCAC and its 12 LoEs or clusters implemented their plans in 2019 wherein programs, projects and activities in the affected areas and GIDAs were prioritized by various agencies in the region,” Esperon said.

Various infrastructure projects, provision of basic services and livelihood training were also implemented in the identified 11 insurgency-affected villages in Region 1, all located in the province of Ilocos Sur.

As of November 2019, nine of the 11 villages identified as insurgency-affected areas were cleared to be no longer influenced by the NPA rebels.

“Indeed, we can do more as we work together. As we look forward to the years ahead, let us continue this spirit of cooperation between the military forces and civilian government to fight against insurgency and most of all, provide services and good governance to our people,” Esperon concluded. (JCR/FGL-PIA 1)

https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1033387

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