DAVAO CITY (PIA)- -Top military officials here in the Davao Region have fully recognized the major contribution of the local government units (LGUs) in bringing former rebels (FRs) back to mainstream society not only in declaring an area as insurgency-free.
In the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas featuring the unified Eastern Mindanao Command Armed (EMC) of the Forces of the Philippines (AFP), 10th Infantry “Agila” Division commander, Major General Allan D. Hambala amplified the statement of EMC commander, Lt Gen Luis Rex Bergante who said the military divisions have immensely been benefited by the support of LGUs especially in substantially eradicating the rebel armed groups.
“For 10th ID, napaka laki ng tulong na naiambag ng local government units. If not for them, actually di naman basta-basta ma-dismantle ‘yong grupo ng kabila. Napalaki ng kanilang kooperasyon, tulong,” he said.
[For the 10th ID, the local government units have an immense contribution. If not for them, actually, we would not have been able to dismantle the other group by just that. They have immensely cooperated and helped.]
During the same forum, Hambala revealed that the communist terrorist group (CTG) armed groups have insignificant weaned in number to less than 20 remnants from various dismantled guerilla fronts.
“Halos wala na silang armas na dala….na confine naming sila sa iisang lugar, and we expect before the end of September is totally ma-neutralize na namin itong remnants na ito,” he said while revealing that they are monitored “outside of Davao Region”.
[They barely have carried firearms… we have confined them in one place, and we expect to totally neutralize these remnants by September.]
Hambala also said that the 10th ID “has dismantled the remaining armed group way before the deadline of the higher headquarters.”
As the NPAs have become very insignificant, most Philippine Army troops are on stability operation or on “sustainment operation” to keep the cleared areas from the influence of the CPP-NPA-NDF “so they won’t again be convinced to go back to their fold,’ he said.
Meanwhile, Hambala also recognized the role that LGUs have played in realizing “conflict transformation and genuine reconciliation”, saying addressing insurgency does not end at the surrender of the CTG to the folds of the law but it continues towards mainstreaming them and their families back to the society.
“Napaka bigat ito na trabaho, kung walang tulong ang iba’t Ibang ahensya ng gobyerno, kugn walang tulong ang mga LGUs natin.. napakahirap i-attain ito,” he said referring to the concept of ‘conflict transformation and genuine reconciliation’.
[This is a heavy amount of work to do without the help of various national line agencies and the local government units, this is hard to attain.] (JMDA/PIA XI)
