THE Joint Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (JRTF-Elcac) continues to reinforce peace and development initiatives in Davao Region, through sustained collaboration with the Strategic Communication Cluster, reaffirming its commitment to maintaining the region’s insurgency-free status.
A strategic meeting held on September 4, 2025, at the Eastern Mindanao Command Headquarters, Felix Apolinario Naval Station in Panacan, gathered key representatives from national and regional agencies. The session was spearheaded by the Philippine Information Agency-Davao Region (PIA-Davao) and hosted by the Eastern Mindanao Command, with participants from the National Youth Commission-Davao (NYC-Davao), Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (Opapru), Department of Information and Communications Technology-Davao (DICT-Davao), and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency-Davao (Nica-Davao), among others.
Lt. Col. Salvacion Evangelista, chief Public Information Officer of the Eastern Mindanao Command, emphasized the importance of the meeting as a platform to address pressing regional concerns.
She highlighted the Strategic Communication Cluster’s role in fostering inter-agency collaboration, sharing insights, and crafting innovative solutions to local challenges.
A key highlight of the meeting was the peace and order update presented by Police Major Chatherine dela Rey of PNP-Davao, who reported that for August 2025, the terrorism threat level in Davao City was assessed as moderate, requiring Level III security protocols, while other provinces in the region remained under low threat levels.
The Regional Police Security Battalion (R-PSB) continues to play a vital role in protecting Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs) from communist terrorist group (CTG) recruitment and resurgence.
The report also confirmed the absence of active criminal gangs in the region, pointing to a stable crime environment. The Police Regional Office-Davao (PRO-Davao) remains focused on preventive policing and rapid response to public safety concerns.
Meanwhile, Major Ruben Gadut of the Philippine Army presented updates on the efforts of Joint Task Force (JTF) Agila, which has been instrumental in maintaining Davao Region’s insurgency-free status.
The task force has ramped up its operations and community engagement efforts, conducting 2,165 Community Development Team (CDT) activities, 3,629 Multi-Sectoral Support Team (MCSST) activities, 1,801 outreach programs, and 1,592 information, education, and communication (IEC) campaigns.
The meeting reaffirmed the collective commitment of government agencies to uphold peace, security, and inclusive development in Davao Region through sustained coordination and strategic communication. PIA DAVAO
