THE Province of Davao del Norte is now declared "insurgency free", according to the Philippine Army 10th Infantry Division (10ID).
In a press release, 10ID , along with different government agencies in Davao Region officially declared the "insurgency free" status of the province on Monday, June 13, at Davao Del Norte Gym, Mankilam, Tagum City.
This was also formalized through Resolution Number 08 series of 2022 issued by Governor Edwin Jubahib, declaring the entire province and its component cities and municipalities as "insurgency-free province".
The army unit said the declaration came following the "successful dismantling" of all guerilla fronts in the province due to the "effective counterinsurgency campaign."
10ID commander Major Gen. Nolasco Mempin said the campaign against communist insurgency in Davao del Norte was “not an easy journey.”
"Let us all commit to ensure na hindi na kailanman muling maagaw pa mula sa atin ng kahit na sinong komunista o terorista ang mapayapa at masaganang buhay na matagal nating ipinaglaban at pinagsikapang makamtan (that these communist or terrorists would no longer stole the peace and prosperous life that we had long fought and determined to achieve)," Mempin added.
At least five NPA guerrilla units operated in the province in 2016—all under the NPA's Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SMRC), 10ID said.
The number went down to two in 2020, culminating with the collapse of SMRC's GF3—described as one of the oldest guerrilla fronts in the country—early this year, 10ID said.
Likewise, he said the implementation of the Development Support and Security Plan (DSSP) “Kapayapaan”, and later, the Executive Order No. 70 which institutionalized the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), boosted the Army's counter-insurgency campaign.
The dismantling of the communist group is in coordination with the 10ID, Police Regional Office-Davao (PRO-Davao), and other stakeholders. These include the seizing of firearms and recover their mass bases or areas. RGL