OPAPRU: 18 PAGs disbanded in three regions

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 22, 2023): OPAPRU: 18 PAGs disbanded in three regions (By Priam Nepomuceno)

MANILA – The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) announced that the 18 potential private armed groups (PAGs) in the Zamboanga Peninsula, Soccsksargen, and Bangsamoro regions have been disbanded.

These private armed groups have been disbanded by the National Task Force for the Disbandment of Private Armed Groups (NTF-DPAGs), the agency said in a statement late Wednesday.

OPARPU said Police Maj. Gen. Victor K. Wanchakan, NTF-DPAGS deputy commander in Western Mindanao, presented his group’s accomplishments during the recent 12th Oversight Committee Meeting of the NTF-DPAGs.

Meanwhile, Area Police Command - Eastern Mindanao deputy commander, Maj. Gen. Harold B. Tuazon, also reported that the number of active criminal gangs in Northern Mindanao, Davao, and Caraga regions has gone down from 16 to four.

Tuazon attributed this positive development to the relentless efforts of the task force to neutralize lawless elements, which include the increased deployment of troops to the area from the second quarter of 2022 until the same period this year.

Acting Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity and NTF DPAGs special adviser, Secretary Isidro L. Purisima, emphasized the importance of helping former PAG members transition to becoming peaceful and productive citizens.

“Another aspect that we need to enhance is how we can help these ex-armed group members make the successful transition as peaceful, productive, and law-abiding individuals. This is why the work carried out by the Department of Social Welfare and Development is crucial,” Purisima said.

“As chair of the National Technical Group on Rehabilitation and Reintegration, it must not only help former PAG members rebuild their lives but also aid them as they eventually return to mainstream society. By doing this, we will be able to demonstrate that good things come to those who choose the path of peace and encourage other PAG members to return to the folds of the law.“

Meanwhile, NTF-DPAGs vice chairperson, Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr., reaffirmed the security sector’s full and strong support for the disbandment of private armed groups.

“The Armed Forces of the Philippines, normally being deputized as law enforcers by the Philippine National Police, stands ready and able to support within the legal framework all efforts in order to have a nuanced and focused approach to the disbandment of PAGs,” Teodoro said.

NTF-DPAGs chairperson, Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur C. Abalos Jr., expressed confidence that the task force would continue to play a crucial role in ensuring peace and security in Mindanao.

“This group is a very important group and we could do a lot… Let’s look forward to a peaceful Mindanao,” Abalos said.

Purisima also lauded the task force for its peacekeeping initiatives, which are helping to push forward the peace processes in the country.

“We, in OPAPRU, remain confident that the NTF-DPAGs will be able to keep up its outstanding work, as we all continue to work together to help build on and sustain the gains of the comprehensive Philippine peace process,” he said. “There is no doubt that the task force is making headway, as we help create the conditions where a just and long-lasting peace can take root and flourish. To the NTF-DPAGs member agencies, thank you for your invaluable contribution, to making this vision a reality.”

The Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), the landmark agreement signed by the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in 2014, provides for a comprehensive approach to strengthening peace and order, as well as addressing emerging security concerns in the Bangsamoro region.

This holistic approach includes the disbandment of private armed groups, the implementation of a program for small arms and light weapons management, the redeployment of Armed Forces of the Philippines troops, policing, and the clearing of unexploded ordnance and landmines.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1204041