Calinog is rebels’ ‘mobility corridor’

From Panay News (Jul 29, 2019): Calinog is rebels’ ‘mobility corridor’

ILOILO – The municipality of Calinog has become the “mobility corridor” or passageway of rebels in crisscrossing the province, according to Lieutenant Colonel Joel Benedict Batara, commander of the Philippine Army’s 61th Infantry Battalion (61IB).

Of particular concern to the Army are five remote villages of Calinog – Guinbonyugan, Supanga, Binolosan Grande, Binolosan Pequeño, and Manaripay.

To address the insurgency problem in these barangays, the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) deployed 10 Community Support Program (CSP) teams in them.

“Our teams will clear the minds of the locals there,” said Batara.

The villages, he said, were “influenced” by the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).

“The CPP-NPA influences the people and sometimes recruits cadres from the villages,” said Batara.

Leftist groups also spread fake information about the ongoing construction of the Jalaur River Multi-purpose Project (JRMP) Stage II in Calinog, he added.

The P11.2-billion JRMP II is a flagship project of the government to ensure consistent supply of water in the province.

Batara said leftists were telling Calinog locals that the mega dam would lead to their dislocation, among others.

“They poison the minds of the people. CSP teams will coordinate with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to explain the benefits of the mega dam,” he said.

NIA is the implementing agency of the mega dam project.

The CSP teams’ length of stay in the five barangays would depend on how effective they are in empowering the local government and village officials, said Batara.

“The villages are expected to establish their own internal defense system that even without the Army, the people can protect themselves from the rebels,” he said.

https://www.panaynews.net/calinog-is-rebels-mobility-corridor/