Gov’t execs say Laguna town now NPA-free

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Aug 1, 2023): Gov’t execs say Laguna town now NPA-free (By: Delfin T. Mallari Jr.)

LUCENA CITY – Government authorities declared Santa Maria town in Laguna province liberated from the influence of the communist New People’s Army (NPA).

Local officials, representatives from different national government agencies, the military, and police in Laguna attended the declaration ceremony held on Monday, July 31, in Gumaca, Quezon province.

Mayor Ma. Rocelle Carolino said the declaration of their town with Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS) status is “a victory for Santa Maria.”

“If there is no peace and order, there will be no progress,” Carolino said in her message during the ceremony, the Army’s 1st Infantry Battalion said in a report posted on their Facebook page.

The military and police evaluated and validated the declaration.

The SIPS status means that the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the National Democratic Front, the NPA, and the rebels’ politico-military organizations “no longer pose a threat to peace and order” in the town, according to the military.

Santa Maria is the second municipality in Laguna to have an “insurgency-free” status.

On July 4, Kalayaan town, once known as a lair of Maoist-inspired guerrillas, became the first NPA-free locality in the province.

During the ceremony, a CPP member and four “people’s militia” formally surrendered to the government.

The military refers to the “people’s militia” as part of the insurgent’s mass base, which secures the NPA rebels while in the community. Sometimes, they are armed to reinforce the communist guerrillas during encounters.

Government authorities are preparing assistance for the former rebels in their reintegration protocol under the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1810315/govt-execs-say-laguna-town-now-npa-free