MILITARY and police authorities have deployed two Community Support Program (CSP) teams to facilitate the implementation of development projects aimed to defeat the New People’s Army (NPA) terrorists in the province of Zamboanga del Norte.
Captain Clint Antipala, Army’s 1st Infantry Division information officer, said the CSP teams comprising of troops of the 53rd Infantry Battalion (IB), 547th Engineer Battalion (EB) and policemen were deployed in the hinterlands Pange and Macasing villages in Siayan, Zamboanga del Norte.
Antipala said the CSP teams are usually deployed in isolated villages and former comfort grounds of the NPA.
Pange and Macasing are villages known to be safe havens of the NPA in Siayan.
CSP is a community and issue-oriented Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) operational concept employed in conflict areas. It is a multi-stakeholder, community-based, and people-oriented peace and development effort with the end goal of establishing and developing disaster and conflict resilient communities.
CSP is characterized by dismantling underground mass organizations, implementation of livelihood programs, and facilitation of infrastructure projects at the village level.
Lieutenant Colonel Jo-ar Herrera, 53 IB commander, has reminded the troops that “the enemy is in the brink of collapse.”
“Your CSP deployment in Siayan will be the turning point of defeating the Communist-NPA Terrorists enemy. Let us maintain the momentum while their will to fight and morale is weak,” Herrera said.
Herrera also said the CSP is an approach of reaching out to far-flung communities to deliver basic government services and maintaining peace and order against the NPA harassments and oppression.
Meanwhile, Colonel Ronald Briones, Zamboanga del Norte police director, said that the conduct of CSP in the hinterland villages of Siayan is a collaborative effort and "cannot be accomplished without the support of the communities."
"This CSP symbolizes the collaboration and unity between the Army and the Police. With this collaboration and unity, we can achieve lasting peace," Briones said.
The CSP team deployment conducts community visitations in the village and call for convergence and collaboration among different government agencies. (SunStar Zamboanga)