PAGADIAN CITY -Ending the communist armed conflict requires a strong collaborative community effort which the officials of the Department of Education (DepEd)-City Schools Division and the 1st Civil-Military Operations (1CMO), Battalion of the 1st Infantry (Tabak) Division, Philippine Army demonstrated in the recent holding of a teachers’ forum in the City.
Mayor Samuel Co in his message delivered by City Councilor Vincenzo Cagampang said the forum is a very timely occasion to inform the teachers and other stakeholders on the alleged abuses made by the Communist Party of the Philippines- New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).
“In this forum, we display our noble purpose, our courage and determination to show our unity and concern for one another in ending local communist armed conflict,” Cagampang said quoting the mayor.
Co said the infiltration of the CPP-NPA in schools and other learning institutions lead to the death and destruction of our youth and young adults.
“The tentacles of these communist terrorist groups (CTGs) have reached the academe, church, media, Congress, civil society, labor unions, farmers groups, women and labor sector,” he added.
The local chief executive is optimistic that putting an end on the issue of CPP-NPA’s infiltration and recruitment is relevant in achieving lasting peace not only in Mindanao but in the entire country, as well.
He appealed to the teachers and youth leaders to be vigilant and to immediately report to the law enforcement and authorities the presence of a suspicious character in the schools and barangays.
He also said that the participation of the citizenry and other stakeholders is very important to attain peace and progress in the city.
Meanwhile, Deputy Regional Director Bonifacio Pulgo of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA-9) described the CPP-NPA as more lethal than the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic saying that for 51 years they have killed thousands of lives, destroyed many families, and disturbed the peaceful and prosperous lives of Filipinos.
“For 51 years our people have suffered and our progress is being stunted by the small band of communists who still believed in the fake ideology,” Pulgo said quoting President Rodrigo Duterte.
He also presented President Duterte’s Executive Order No. 7O and informed them of the creation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) which aims to address the root causes of insurgency to end local armed conflict in the countryside.
He said that the government is now conducting an intensive information campaign to counter the black propaganda of the CTGs and to inform the public on the programs and projects and to let them feel that the government is working for them.
Source: (PIA-Zamboanga del Sur)
