MEMBERS of both the Provincial Peace and Order and Development Councils of Negros Occidental unanimously approved Tuesday, August 27, a resolution creating the Provincial Task Force on Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF-Elcac).
The Negros Occidental PPOC and PDC, both chaired by Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, passed the resolutions in compliance with Executive Order 70 issued by President Rodrigo Duterte that institutionalizes the Whole-of-Nation Approach in attaining inclusive and sustainable peace.
Brigadier General Benedict Arevalo, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander who briefed PPOC and PDC members on the creation of PTF-Elcac during a joint meeting held Thursday, August 30, at the Negros First Residences in Bacolod City, said they will schedule its formal launching and hold another workshop on how to deliver government services, especially to NPA affected areas.
Arevalo said they will also exert efforts for the realization of localized peace talks that already got the support of the Roman Catholic Church in Negros.
It is a very challenging task, but we will try to, at least, make an effort, he added.
Lacson said he will support call for a localized peace talks with the rebels.
"Anything that will redound to a peace agreement with the rebels, I am in favor," Lacson said.
"We are with the goal of the president to reach a peace agreement with rebels," he added.
Negros Occidental is one of the top provinces that have the most number of local government units influenced by the rebel movement, Lacson said.
He said it is the vision of President Rodrigo Duterte in the last three years of his term.
The newly-formed PTF-Elcac will be chaired by Lacson, with Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer as vice-chairman, and its members will include representatives from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, National Police and various government agencies.
Following the creation of the National Task Force (NTF)-Elcac, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is urging the 81 provinces "to do their share in bringing local insurgency to its conclusion" by organizing their respective task force against insurgency.
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said in a statement that provinces play a key role in wiping out the decades-old local communist problem because "they are more grounded on the societal issues in their localities which are being exploited by communist terrorist groups to influence locals to take up arms against the government."
"Putting an end to insurgency does not only require a military solution because this will address only one facet of the issue. We should therefore work together and put our acts together as one nation -- starting from the provinces, cities, towns and barangays -- to lick the insurgency problem," he added.
Año said the primary responsibility of the provincial task force is to harmonize and optimize government efforts and resources at the provincial level to address the root causes of insurgency and attain sustainable peace and development.