SP CAGAYAN APPROVES RESOLUTION DECLARING CAGAYAN PROVINCE “INSURGENCY FREE.”
Camp Aquino, Tarlac City, Dec 5, 2024 -The 11th Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of Cagayan has approved the resolution declaring the province “insurgency-free and in a state of stable internal peace and security” during the 117th regular session of the SP.
Capt. Gavin Salalima PA, spokesperson of the 502nd Infantry Brigade, Philippine Army, presented the factors for declaring Cagayan “insurgency-free.”
He said the main reason for this was the dismantling of the East and West Front and the Komiteng Probinsiya (KOMPROB) Cagayan, which was formed in 2011; the neutralization of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) ranking officials in Cagayan, such as Edgar Mancao Arbitrario, Ka Karl, and Gerald Paredog, alias Andres; and the mass abandonment of former rebels and supporters to CTG, including Michael Cedrick Casano and Patricia Nicole Cierva.
According to BGen Eugene Mata PA, Brigade Commander of the 502nd Infantry Brigade, even if there are still nine remaining members of the Cagayan Valley Regional Committee (KRCV), an area can now be declared “insurgency-free” in accordance with the guidelines in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) PLEDS Plan 2023-2028.
“Here in Province Cagayan, we have totally destroyed the structure of the red and white area. Our basic reference is the PLED’s Plan Pagkakaisa 2023-2028,” the Brigade Commander said.
“The AFP PLEDS Plan “Pagkakaisa” lends itself to the current administration’s drive towards national unity and sustaining security and stability towards lasting peace and development by ending insurgency and defeating terrorism. It defines how the AFP shall work with the rest of the nation to achieve total victory. Total victory encompasses physical and psychological victory against the threat groups while simultaneously making communities resilient from exploitation and radicalization. It does not mean total annihilation of enemy force but rather the dismantling or destruction of its entire system, which makes security threat groups resilient.
In other words, the symbiotic system of the red and white area has been destroyed completely,” explained BGen Mata.
With the declaration of Cagayan as insurgency-free, the Philippine Army in the province assured that they will not leave to their bases as they will still remain alert and will continue to assist the PNP in ensuring peace and order.
The Cagayan Provincial Peace and Order Council first passed the resolution for an “insurgency-free” Cagayan during the 4th quarter meeting chaired by Gov. Manuel Mamba.
The formal declaration is set on December 30, 2024. (PR)
