Army, PNP roll out Kapanatagan 2019-2022
THE Police Regional Office (PRO) Cordillera and the Armed Forces of the Philippines Northern Luzon Command formally signed the Joint Campaign Plan Kapanatagan 2019-2022, which focuses on strengthening inter-operability to clean guerilla fronts in the region.
In a ceremonial signing held at Camp Dangwa in La Trinidad, Benguet, Northern Luzon Command head Lieutenant General Emmanuel Salamat said because of the successful conduct of the elections last May 13, it showed control of the security within Northern Luzon and Cordillera.
"Because of the joint effort of the AFP and the PNP (Philippine National Police) in preventing violence and any actions of the local terrorist grouts here in the Cordillera region, we assure that the AFP and PNP will continue to work together through Joint Kapanatagan Cordillera. We can now work together closely to implement our joint actions and plans to ensure a more collaborative effort to address the peace and security concern especially in those geographic isolated areas here in the Cordillera region," Salamat said.
The joint collaboration was mandated to the AFP and PNP, as it hopes to collaborate with local government units and other partner agencies to ensure the implementation of President Rodrigo Duterte's Executive Order 70, which establishes National Task Force in ending local armed conflicts.
"The AFP and the PNP are mandated to cooperate closely together with our local partners to address squarely the security concern that we need here in the Cordillera region. We have just finished our national convergence meeting at MalacaƱang two weeks ago together will all the local government and agencies of the government to put all our efforts to come up with a clusters of responses in the different issues affecting our society which includes issues that have been exploited by the local terrorists groups so that the government can respond to the issues," Salamat said.
The joint campaign would be a venue for government to act on the root cause of insurgency such as poverty, unemployment and the no response of local governments and added challenges and issues that affects the livelihood of the community.
The convergence of both agencies also seeks to establish the direct link of legal organizations with the armed groups which supports while the joint task force gather evidences that would be able to stand in court for filing of cases and other approaches within the bounds of the law.
At present, the identified Kilusang Larangang Guerilla Forces in the Cordillera are found in Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Benguet and Apayao.
"We ask the public in the Cordillera to support the AFP, the PNP and the national government to put to an end the armed conflicts for us to rise from poverty. We see the radical ideologies of the local communism becoming now the disease that spears in the isolated areas where our Indigenous Peoples who are being exploited including the youth. Join us once and for all to save our country from the ills of communism and let us work together to attain our shared patriotic goal of seeking the welfare of our nation," Salamat added.