BY: BY JENNIFER C. TILOS
DUMAGUETE CITY, March 7 (PIA) --The Area
Clearing Evaluation and Validation (ACEV) Board has declared the five barangays
in Guihulngan City as “insurgent-free and development-ready” after passing in
the parameters prescribe by the joint letter directive by the army and police.
Barangays Tacpao, Bulado, Calamba,
Hilaitan and Basak, all of Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental are cleared from
insurgents, army’s information officer Capt. Crescencio Gargar reported.
The ACEV Board composed of the
representatives from the Philippine Army, Philippine National Police, and local
government unit of Guihulngan evaluated the said barangays under the
implementation of Internal Security Operation (ISO) campaign plan against communist
terrorist movement.
The ACEV reports of said barangays were
issued and signed by the members of the board at TESDA Hall,
Poblacion, Guihulngan City.
According to Capt. Gargar the five
barangays had been previously infested by the New People’s Army (NPAs) that
hampered the government’s development efforts in the areas.
“Its constituents were the common
targets of the extortion and liquidation activities of CPP/NPA. But the active
and untiring support of the LGUs towards the efforts of the Bayanihan Teams of
11th Infantry (Lapulapu) Battalion deployed in these barangays
finally brought positive changes to the community,” the army official said.
Gargar added “Although some expressed
apprehension and fear, many of the residents support the initiatives of the
government and the military to prevent the entry of insurgents in their
barangay. Indeed, with peace paving a way for development, the people living in
those communities will have a better chance to uplift their living condition.”
During the declaration, Col Christopher
Estella, Deputy Brigade Commander of 302nd Brigade and the chair of ACEV said
that peace and development are always two sides of a coin, as barangays are
cleared from NPA influence, "we expect that development will always
follow. However these barangays will continue to face serious challenges, if
these issues are not properly addressed with the right approaches.”
The convergence of the government
efforts and active participation of the LGUs will preserve its gains
through unhampered delivery of basic services and eradication of issues that
may fuel the insurgency in the area, said Col. Estella.
For his part, barangay kagawad Glicerio
Bulado of Hilaitan said that frequent visitation of the local government
especially in the remote sitios of my barangay will surely gain the support of
the populace and reject the ideas of violence or armed struggle.
Meanwhile, Brigadier General Francisco
Patrimonio, Commander of 302nd Brigade said that more barangays in Negros
Oriental will be declared insurgent-free as the military continues its
Bayanihan operations in the province where the insurgents are continuously
diminishing.
The army is optimistic that Negros
Oriental would eventually be insurgency-free province this year.
BGen. Patrimonio said this vision, if
realized will attract more investors and business opportunities, hence, more
job and development for the Negrenses. (JCT/PIA7-Negros Oriental)