3 Iloilo City brgys insurgency-free

Posted to Panay News (Apr 30, 2021: 3 Iloilo City brgys insurgency-free (By Ruby Silubrico)

ILOILO City – Three villages here were declared free from New People’s Army (NPA) rebels.

Bitoon, Tabuc Suba and Balabago in Jaro district were now deemed “cleared” after a nine-month operation of the Community Support Program (CSP) personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Captain Ivy Arcangeles, commanding officer of the 33rd Civil Military Office (CMO), said one of the successes of the program was the re-organization of former Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CCP-NPA) groups into bayanihan organizations.

These organizations includes the Sitio Ilaya Hugpong Bayanihan Urban Poor Association (SIHBUPA) and Barangay Bitoon Bayanihan Newsite Bayanihan Association (BBNSBA).

Arcangeles said her troops were stationed in the barangays since July 2020, even with the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

“For almost nine months, the CSP team contributed a lot not only in clearing the barangays from the influence of the CPP-NPA and allied groups but also in their fight against COVID-19,” she said.

Troops were also deployed to Molo district’s barangays West Timawa, North Fundidor and South Fundidor; Barangay Navais in Mandurriao district; Barangay Sinikway in Lapuz district; Barangay Baldoza in La Paz district; and Barangay MV Hechanova in Jaro district.

Brigadier General Marion Sison, commander of the Philippine Army’s 301st Infantry Brigade, lauded officials and residents for their accommodation and support to the CSP operators.

The culmination of the CSP in three city villages, Sison said, “was a manifestation of how effective the collaborative effort of the Army, local officials and the populace.”

He urged the chairmen of the seven barangays to extend the same support to the CSP teams stationed in each.

“Sa bayanihan matutuldukan ang terorismo dulot ng komunismo. Let’s help one another end the armed struggle,” Sison said.

https://www.panaynews.net/3-iloilo-city-brgys-insurgency-free/