THE joint Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) Area Clearing Validation Board (ACVB) in the Cordillera Region is set to release its list of areas cleared of threats from members of the communist terrorist groups or CTGs.
In his visit to the Police Regional Office Cordillera (PRO-COR), PNP OIC-chief Lieutenant General Archie Gamboa pointed out the need for joint operational activities not only between the AFP and PNP but with government and non-government agencies in combating and providing support services for those affected by the CTGs.
“The problems against our communist terrorist groups are security threat of which all government security forces should help each other that is why there is a joint effort by the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. As matter of fact, the creation of our units that we call our mobile forces are intended for this purpose so they fight side by side with Armed Forces of the Philippines and probably there is a need for the PNP to learn more specially in urban centers,” Gamboa said.
In the recent 4th Quarter Regional Development and Peace and Order Council (RDC-ROOC) meeting, representatives from the AFP based in Northern Luzon identified 61 barangays affected by insurgency.
“Although I don’t know the specific affectation and I am from Mindanao but particularly Region 13, a portion of six and seven and eleven which is in the Vizayas are the most affected areas by the CTGs which government validations like this seeks to tumble the structure and then the entry of security forces and ultimately the government services because this is what they say that government services have not really reached the far flung areas which would encourage progress,” he said.
The parameters of the ACVB include the dismantling of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA politico-military structure; the denial of the CPP-NPA access to the area, resources, and manpower, including mass base support; and the establishment of a functioning barangay information net and integrated community public safety system.
Local government units in the region have earlier passed resolution identifying the New Peoples Army operating in their area as persona non grata due to negative effects of their operation in the area.
“In itself it is very important because if the LGU would declare such group as persona non grata against CTG’s, it is a very concrete statement that these local government units support the campaign of government and not of the CTG. So with that kind of declaration, it would elicit a lot of support from non-government organization and from the citizens themselves,” Gamboa added.