Key Philippine Military and Insurgency-Related Events: Kalinaw News: Hinatuan declares CPP-NPA-NDF Persona Non-Grata

Thursday, May 2, 2019

Kalinaw News: Hinatuan declares CPP-NPA-NDF Persona Non-Grata

From Kalinaw News (May 2, 2019): Hinatuan declares CPP-NPA-NDF Persona Non-Grata

BISLIG CITY, Surigao del Sur- The list of cities, municipalities and barangays declaring the communist/ terrorist group CPP-NPA-NDF is getting longer by the day.

On Tuesday, April 30, the Municipality of Hinatuan, Surigao Del Sur was added to the list after passing a resolution that declared the terror group undesirable in the entire locality.

Hinatuan, a second class municipality in Mindanao’s Caraga Region, is home to the world- famous Enchanted River. The river located in Brgy. Talisay, is said to be miraculous and attracts visitors locally and internationally.

Resolution Number 01-19 entitled “Declaring the CPP-NPA-NDF and their Associated Organizations as Persona Non- Grata” was passed during a joint meeting of the Hinatuan Municipal Peace and Order Council (MPOC) and Municipal Anti-Drug Abuse Council (MADAC) Meeting, April 30.

“The constituents of the Municipality of Hinatuan condemns all forms of terrorism, uphold their allegiance and support to the fight against terrorism, and renounces association with any terror[ism] group. The maintenance of peace and security is our prime concern and duty”, the resolution said.

The declaration was positively received by the Punong Barangays (Barangay Captains) as well as various stakeholders in the municipality including the business sector. They said the move is just the first step in improving their peace and order and security condition as they strive to pursue socio-economic development programs that will benefit the people especially from poor and marginalized communities. The tourism sector is expected to greatly benefit from improved peace and security situation of the Municipality.

Lt. Col. Jaime Datuin whose battalion has operational jurisdiction of the municipality lauded the move and expressed optimism that neighboring municipalities will follow suit.

“Hinatuan’s move is proof that many municipalities and barangays have long desired to disassociate themselves from the communist- terrorists. The Philippine Army is optimistic that those who haveen deceived and exploited by the CPP-NPA- NDF will be finally enlightened as to the true nature of these organizations”, Datuin said.

Brig.Gen. Andres Centino, the 401st Brigade Commander also commended the LGU of Hinatuan for leading the charge against the communist- terrorists. He said Executive Order No. 70 calls for a

“Whole of Nation Approach” to end the local communist armed conflict, and requires the collective effort of government instrumentalities to work with the community. He further assured the LGU of Philippine Army’s readiness to assist them in their quest towards establishing conflict-resilient communities.