Kalinaw News: NoLCom Commander: Ilocos Region now insurgency free, other areas in north Luzon soon to follow

Posted to Kalinaw News (Feb 24, 2022): NoLCom Commander: Ilocos Region now insurgency free, other areas in north Luzon soon to follow



Camp Aquino, Tarlac City – Feb 24, 2022

Ilocos Region is now formally declared as the first region in the country to be in a State of Stable Internal Peace and Security after the signing of the Joint Regional Development Council 1 (RDC) and Regional Peace and Order Council 1 (RPOC), and the Regional Task Force (RTF-ELCAC) 1 Resolution No. 1 s. 2022 at the EM Royalle Hotel & Beach Resort in San Juan, La Union on Thursday, February 24, 2022.

“With Ilocos region formally declared to be in a state of Stable Internal Peace and Security, we will do our best to ensure that other regions in our area of operations will soon follow,” said Northern Luzon Command Commander Lt. Gen. Ernesto Torres Jr. who personally attended the event, alongside Secretary Hermogenes C. Esperon, Jr, Chairperson, RTF-ELCAC 1; La Union Governor Francisco Emmanuel ‘Pacoy’ Ortega III, Chairperson, RPOC 1; Vigan City Mayor Juan Carlo S. Medina, Chairperson, RDC 1; Ms. Julie J. Daquioag, Ph.D., CESO III, Regional Director, DILG Region 1, RPOC-1 Head Secretariat; and Mr. Nestor G. Rillon, Regional Director, NEDA Region 1, RDC-1 Vice-Chairperson, and other members of the RTF-ELCAC 1.

The media and other participants attended via video teleconference in adherence to Covid-19 health protocols.

Prior to the signing of the resolution, Brig. Gen. Krishnamurti Mortela, Commander of Joint Task Group Defender, the AFP unit in charge of combatting terrorism in the Ilocos region, presented the premises and accomplishments of Region 1 Peace, Law Enforcement, and Development Support (PLEDS) cluster in dismantling the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) operating in the region.

The JTG commander highlighted the 36 high-value personalities neutralized, surrender of 984 NPA regular alongside the capture and recovery of 84 firearms, and the overwhelming support of 152 municipalities and 3, 564 barangays in declaring communist terrorists as persona non grata.

“Our hard work, focus, and relentless efforts to accomplish our targets and mandate yielded zero violence incidents for more than a year now since January 2021, “said Brig. Gen. Mortela.

La Union Governor Francisco Emmanuel ‘Pacoy’ Ortega III expressed his elation and gratitude to all the agencies and stakeholders who have contributed to making the Ilocos Region reach the State of Stable Internal Peace and Security.

Also, Mayor Juan Carlos Medina described this accomplishment as a “legacy of Secretary Esperon and President Duterte.”

Meanwhile, Secretary Esperon said that after this accomplishment, the government will change its tempo towards the further development of the region.

Moreso, Lt. Gen. Torres expressed his jubilance over the accomplishment, he said that peace and development will flourish in the region without the hindering presence of the CTG.

“The military and the police will continue pressuring the remaining Communist terrorists in north and central Luzon to surrender and return to the fold of the law to have a chance of redeeming their lives as productive citizens of the country,” the NoLCom Commander added.

The signing of the resolution marks a milestone in history as the first region in the Philippines to be declared in a state of Stable Internal Peace and Security which manifests that the provinces in Ilocos are cleared and unaffected by CTG, and are in a normalized state of peace and development.

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/nolcom-commander-ilocos-region-now-insurgency-free-other-areas-in-north-luzon-soon-to-follow/