An officer of the 1001st Infantry Brigade bared that the peace and order condition in the area is manageable, as its leadership could reach far-flung patrol bases in its area of responsibility to ensure proper assessment and to prevent the rebels from entering on places the once influenced.
Colonel Ronnie Babac, commander of the 1001st Brigade of the Philippine Army revealed they have gone to Barangay Napnapan, Pantukan and far-flung areas of Mabini on Tuesday to have a better understanding of the situation.
“So far, based on the feedback that I gathered, elected officials revealed they haven’t seen any sighting of the rebels in the far-flung barangays. We also observed the increase of travel among residents from far-flung areas to the town centers to earn a living. So far, the declaration that the area is insurgency free is holding,” he said.
Babac said the people can now do their daily chores and go out free from the threats and intimidation by the rebels.
He clarified that the insurgency free declaration is brought about by the regional resolution of the peace and order councils from the municipalities to the provinces in Region 11 where members are elected and other government officials.
Babac said they jointly declared with the military that their areas are insurgency-free.
He said the arrest of Eric Casilao in Malaysia practically solidifies their area as insurgency-free considering that he was a former leader of the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee who had been in the area of responsibility of the 100st Brigade.
“The arrest of Eric Casilao has affected our declaration of our AOR as insurgency-free. It influences neighboring regional committees in Caraga and Bukidnon for them to consider, continued stay in the rebel movement or to abandon the armed struggle,” Babac said. (PIA XI-Joey Sem Dalumpines)
