INDIVIDUALS IN CRISIS SITUATION. A total of 70 former rebels receive PHP5,000 each from the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s assistance to individuals in crisis situation during the Panay Peace Summit in Passi City, Iloilo on Thursday (Dec. 10, 2020). The summit was a joint initiative of the RTF-ELCAC and the 301st Infantry Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army. (PNA photo by PGLena)
ILOILO CITY – On a scale of 1 to 10, the government is now at 9.5 in terms of winning the war against the communist terrorist group (CTG), an official of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said on Thursday.
Lt. Gen. Antonio G. Parlade Jr., NTF-ELCAC spokesperson, was one of the speakers during the first Panay Peace Summit hosted by Passi City and attended by around 1,500 participants on the ground and through video-conferencing.
In the press conference following the short program, Parlade said what is lacking is the filing of cases against the CTGs.
He added that they are always being asked why no cases were filed against the CTG, but he said it will follow.
Parlade was presented with 128 judicial affidavits of former rebels from Panay that were gathered by the legal cooperation cluster of the regional task force led by Prosecutor Flosemer Chris Gonzales.
The affidavits will be used to file cases against the New People’s Army (NPA) CTG.
In his message during the program, he lauded the convergence efforts of government agencies in the region and even claimed that the task force in Western Visayas is “ahead” because there are still issues in other regions.
Brig Gen. Marion Sison, commander of the 301st Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, said local government units, especially those whose areas were affected by the insurgency are supportive of ELCAC.
“Our affected municipalities are very supportive. We have no problems with them,” he said.
Meanwhile, during the summit, 70 former rebels received PHP5,000 each from the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s assistance to individuals in crisis situation.
Some 1,400 packs of goodies were provided to other participants who are former sympathizers and supporters of the CTG.
They also took their oath of allegiance to the government and affix their signature to the wall of commitment.
The summit, with the theme “Sama-Sama Buong Bayan Para sa Kapayapaan at Karapatan ng Sambayanan”, is a joint initiative of the RTF-ELCAC and the 301st Infantry Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) of the Philippine Army.
It seeks to promote peace and put an end to insurgency in the country.
Also present at the summit were Undersecretary Lorraine Marie Badoy of the Presidential Communications Operations Office, Jeffrey “Ka Eric” Celiz, and Joy James “Ka Amihan” Saguino, the latter two have testified during the Senate inquiry on red-tagging.
The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA)
