TABUK CITY, Kalinga – All seven towns in the province have passed local measures declaring the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) as persona non grata with Pasil municipality approving its ordinance on June 1.
Pasil approved Ordinance 2020-11, which declares CPP-NPA-NDF and its legal organizations as persona non grata for the barbaric acts done against the government security forces.
"The residents of Pasil Municipality lived a peaceful and harmonious life prior to the infiltration of the CPP-NPA wherein the majority of the residents were threatened, attacked and deceived to support and join the organization against the government," the ordinance read.
"The peace-loving residents of Pasil municipality will uphold its support and allegiance to the government and refuse to associate with members of the CPP-NPA-NDF in order to live a normal life," it added.
The local law also provides that citizens who openly support lawless elements shall also be documented and charged in court.
In 2015, Balbalan town was the first to pass a local measure to condemn the terror acts of the NPA, the armed wing of the communist movement.
It also passed Resolution No. 2015-05 where the local government adopted the Balbalan Police Station Action Plan on Anti-Insurgency.
Other towns in the province that condemned the terroristic acts and violence espoused by the communist movement via local measures include municipalities of Tinglayan, Pinukpuk, Tanudan, Lubuagan, and Rizal.
Tabuk has yet to pass a similar measure.
Based on a report of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the province has three NPA "influenced" villages (Mabaca and Poswoy in Balbalan and Tanglag in Lubuagan) and 13 "less-influenced" villages in Western Uma, Upper Uma and Lower Uma in Lubuagan; Guina-ang in Pasil; Dupag of Tabuk, barangays Balantoy (Sitio Ligayan), Gawa-an and Ab-abaan of Balbalan; and the villages of Ba-ay, Apatan, Wagod, Ammacian (Sitio Bonnong) and Limos in Pinukpuk.
During the recent joint Provincial Peace and Order Council-Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council, Governor Ferdinand Tubban ordered for the inclusion of villages in the “Pumiyaan project” of the provincial local government which is similar with Executive 70 or the Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC).
The Pumiyaan is a poverty reduction program of the LGU that uses the convergence concept of public service delivery.
The poorest barangays in the municipalities are identified and are given priority in the delivery of services by the provincial and line agencies. In identifying the priority projects to be implemented, the target barangays undergo participative situational analysis.
Tubban noted the need for a coordinated move among stakeholders in solving the insurgency problem and a concerted effort to end it, with the affected communities identifying the solutions and the LGUs assisting in providing interventions.
Provincial DILG director Mayer Max Adong agreed with Tubban, saying that to achieve a significant impact, the task force has to converge its services similar to the “Pumiyaan” approach where frontline services are pooled and delivered in those places. (PNA)
