DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental–The government is gaining in its campaign to end insurgency problems through Executive Order No. 70, which aims to address root causes of insurgency through the Whole-of-Nation approach and the creation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
According to Brigadier General Eric Vinoya, commander of the 3rd Infantry (Spearhead) Division, EO 70 is continuously helping the government gain and win against the Communist Party of the Philippines/ New People’s Army (CPP/NPA) in Central and Western Visayas.
“With EO 70, government agencies are converging their efforts toward delivering the most needed services to eradicate social issues that these communist groups are capitalizing on,” Vinoya said in a statement.
Vinoya said the CPP-NPA is greatly affected because of EO 70, the reason why rebels are now “desperately building a fountain of lies and fabricated stories to destroy the people’s drive versus insurgency.”
Vinoya added discrediting EO 70 is like rejecting peace. He, thus, encourages the CPP/NPA leaders to read the the said EO.
“Offering the CPP-NPA Terrorist a new and peaceful life is part of this consolidated effort, but it is them who are maliciously and continuously rejecting peace and development. They are now showing their identity as true enemy of peace and progress,” he said.
One of the significant results of the EO 70, Vinoya said, is the creation of the Task Forces to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (TF-ELCAC) by the different Local Government Units in Central and Western Visayas, which also led to the declaration of the CPP-NPA as persona non grata.
Vinoya further stressed that the leaders of the CPP/ NPA are afraid of the whole-of-nation approach.
“I am challenging you to come out and engage us in a public debate, and let the people decide who is telling the truth, “ Vinoya said.
The 3ID Commander reiterated his reminder to the CPP-NPA leaders and members that the government forces are serious in fulfilling the people’s will to end insurgency. /bmjo