Including Northern Samar
TACLOBAN CITY – Northern Samar Governor Edwin Ongchuan welcomed the declaration of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. that all communist fronts in the country, including in his province, have been dismantled.
According to Ongchuan, the dismantling of the communist fronts could lead to development in Northern Samar and the rest of the areas where there was a presence of communist armed groups.
“The pronouncement of the President on zero active guerilla front in the country is a very welcome development, especially for our province,” the governor said.
“This attests to the success of our collective efforts for lasting peace in Northern Samar, which will largely contribute to our aim for development,” Ongchuan added.
The provincial government, he said, is in support of the anti-insurgency campaign of the national government and has implemented various programs and projects that benefit former rebels in their province who surrender to the government and communities formerly affected by the armed struggle like conducting the ‘Kauswagan Caravan’ which bring government services to various barangays and towns in the province.
The province also identified a housing site for former rebels in Mondragon town called ‘Kauswagan’ village, where not only shelters are provided but including livelihood support.
“We will continue to work for an insurgency-free province which we hope will come soon,” he added.
Meantime, the spokesperson of the 8th Infantry Division, Cpt. Jefferson Mariano declined to give a categorical answer when asked about the statement of their Commander-in-Chief.
He also added that they need to wait for the official announcement from the Armed Forces of the Philippines that all communist fronts in the country are already neutralized or dismantled.
Earlier, the 8th ID has announced that only two communist fronts are operating in Northern Samar, considered the last bastion of communist insurgency in Eastern Visayas.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
