Nolcom, NICA to strengthen efforts to end terrorism

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 2, 2022): Nolcom, NICA to strengthen efforts to end terrorism (By Zorayda Tecson)

PARTNERSHIP. Lt. Gen Ernesto Torres Jr., commander of the Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom), discusses with National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) Regional Director Ma. Luisa de Guzman ways to strengthen their collaborative efforts to pursue peace and development campaigns. De Guzman, together with personnel from NICA-Central Luzon, was welcomed by Torres and the command staff of Nolcom at its headquarters in Camp Aquino in San Miguel, Tarlac on Wednesday (Feb. 2, 2022). (Photo courtesy of Nolcom)

CAMP AQUINO, Tarlac – The Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) have vowed to strengthen collaborative efforts to pursue peace and development campaigns.

A social media post by Nolcom said NICA Regional Director Ma. Luisa De Guzman visited this camp on Wednesday, during which she extended her full support to the campaign of the Nolcom against terrorism.

As part of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict’s (NTF-ELCAC) Situational Awareness and Knowledge Management (SAKM) cluster, De Guzman said NICA vowed to further expedite the process of fully ending local communist armed conflict in the region.

Nolcom commander, Lt. Gen. Ernesto Torres Jr., for his part, thanked the NICA officials for their commitment and active participation in the command’s thrust for lasting peace and development in its area of operations.

“Let us continue to strengthen our coordinating efforts in ending communist terrorism, and solidify our endeavor to work in a holistic and integrated manner to deliver much-needed services to underdeveloped, conflict-affected communities, and to achieve inclusive development and lasting peace for the communities in our area of responsibility," Torres said.

Earlier, the Nolcom chief cited the need to engage and work with different agencies to address the issues in local communities that the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) uses to exploit as part of their manipulative ploys to deceive the people.

He also emphasized the importance of the military’s Community Support Programs (CSPs) as a progressive and sustainable campaign that would address the root causes of internal conflict.

Meanwhile, Torres assured that all communist terrorists who return to the fold of the law will be given a chance to be reintegrated into mainstream society through the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP).

The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

The Anti-Terrorism Council also formally designated the National Democratic Front as a terrorist organization on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and separate part” of the CPP-NPA that was created in April 1973.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1166893