Col. Nolasco Mempin, commander of the Army's 1003rd Infantry Brigade. (Photo lifted from Col. Nolasco Mempin's Facebook account)
DAVAO CITY -- This city is on track to be declared "insurgency-free" by the end of the year, a military official said on Tuesday.
Col. Nolasco Mempin, commander of the Army's 1003rd Infantry Brigade, said the objective entails the acceleration of ongoing Community Support Program (CSP) in the 30 villages here that are considered conflict-affected areas.
At least 16 of these barangays, Mempin said, have heightened CSP initiatives that involve the delivery of basic services, as well as the participation of villagers in the development of their areas.
“There are eight barangays under the 3rd Infantry Battalion that is ready for validation to see if they can be declared cleared,” he added.
Mempin said that as a result of the Army's initiatives to weaken the armed and political apparatus of the New People's Army (NPA), three rebel units have been dismantled in the city's 3rd district.
District 2 areas, he added, have already been declared as conflict-free after the series of interagency initiatives that assured the continuous delivery of services to the area. (PNA)
