CATBALOGAN CITY — The Municipality of Tarangan in Samar was formally declared with Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS) status in a Ceremonial Signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) during the town’s 140th Founding Anniversary Celebration on April 1, 2024.

Said municipality was granted the SIPS status because of the successful conduct of Local Peace Engagement (LPE) down to the Barangay level and the effective multi-sectoral commitment for peace and security.

In his message, Tarangnan Municipal Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict Chair, Mayor Danilo Tan, expressed his gratitude to the people of Tarangnan for their full support and cooperation in achieving a peaceful community.

The Commanding Officer of the 3rd Infantry Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Fritz Montemor expressed his appreciation to the community’s cooperation which is crucial in attaining the SIPS status in Tarangnan.

“This declaration of SIPS status is the result of the sacrifices, bravery, and cooperation of our people. Insurgency is not just a lone responsibility of the AFP or any uniform service but a result of our unity,” Lt. Col.  Montemor said.

Meanwhile, Police Lieutenant Colonel Edwin Barbosa, the Deputy Provincial Director for Operations of Samar Police Provincial Office assured the people of Tarangnan that the PNP will be a constant partner of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Local Government Unit (LGU) in maintaining peace and order to achieve a more progressive community.

The SIPS status is one of the criteria for a municipality for it to be declared as insurgency-free community.

Tarangnan is the second town in Samar Province with SIPS status after Pagsanghan which was proclaimed on December 12, 2023, and which was later declared as the first insurgency-free town in the province. (8ID, PA)