Defense chief: Internal security still priority

From the Manila Times (Oct 16, 2023): Defense chief: Internal security still priority (By Francisco Tuyay)

IN the wake of the clash in Abra last Friday that left two communist guerrillas dead, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. said internal security remains a priority of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

At the recent opening of the Assistance for Security Peace, Integration and Recovery for Advancing Human Security (Aspire) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Teodoro reiterated the need to reduce the proliferation of loose firearms in order to ensure the country's internal security.

Teodoro said that the Aspire project is a proactive and innovative way of reducing the proliferation of illegal weapons, as one of the mandates of the current administration is safeguarding the country's internal security.

Several unidentified armed groups, particularly in Mindanao, still possessed loose firearms, a factor for unstable internal security in the region.

Mindanao is the site of a long history of battle between the military and several armed groups, including the Moro National Liberation Front, Moro Islamic Liberation Front and IS-influenced Abu Sayyaf Group that left thousands dead.

Aspire aims to promote the decommissioning and normalization of the Bangsamoro peace process by reducing small arms and light weapons in the region. It also aims to provide livelihood support to former combatants and members of private armed groups and raise awareness of the negative effects of possessing firearms.

The Aspire Project started in September 2022 when the Japanese government signed a $5 million (P285 million) grant. The project is implemented by the United Nations Development Program in consultation with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and the Joint Normalization Committee.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/10/16/news/national/defense-chief-internal-security-still-priority/1914904