Army wants 16 Davao villages declared 'insurgency-free'

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 20): Army wants 16 Davao villages declared 'insurgency-free'

DAVAO CITY – The Philippine Army’s 1003rd Brigade based Davao City is pushing for 16 more villages here to be declared as "insurgency-free".

Brig. Gen. Ernesto Torres, commander of the 1003rd Brigade, said Wednesday he will submit the list of villages for validation by the clearing board in October.

The board -- composed of representatives of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Mayor Inday Sara Z. Duterte, and barangay chairmen -- is empowered to assess whether certain areas are cleared of New People's Army (NPA) affectation.

Torres told the AFP-PNP Press Corps here that the areas subject for validation are Gumalang, Dacudao and Lacson in Calinan; Baganihan and Magsaysay in Marilog; Atan-awe, Kilate and Tagluno in Toril; Dalagdag in Calinan; Pandaitan, Fatima and Sumimao in Paquibato; Tigatto and Indangan in Buhangin; and barangays Gatungan in Buhangin and Lampianao in Calinan.

“Should these barangays be validated, we will have a total of 64 barangays in the area under the 1003rd Brigade that are considered cleared of insurgency,” the military official said.

Earlier, Torres said, a total of 48 barangays in the city and Davao del Norte have been cleared of insurgency.

Clearing barangays of insurgency would pave the way for more economic activities, peace and development, local officials said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1048577