• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, in tandem with its partners and stakeholders, is eyeing to facilitate the declaration of Negros Island as in a state of Stable Internal Peace and Security, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to be invited as the guest of honor and speaker, disclosed its commander, Maj. Gen. Marion Sison.
This follows the provincial governments of Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental having been both declared provinces under SIPS status, on March 6, and 7, respectively, as recommended by their Provincial Peace and Order Councils.
If all will fall into place as planned, and with the current peace and security landscape, we, along with our partners and stakeholders, will facilitate the declaration of Negros Island as “SIPS.” By then, we will invite no less than our President to grace this important milestone in the history of Negros, Sison said, in statement issued by the 3ID Public Affairs Office.
This is in fulfillment of the President’s desire to come back and he himself declare Negros as “insurgency free” – a wish he intimated during his visit at 3ID headquarters, last year,” he recalled.
In an approved resolution, the Negros Occidental PPOC chaired by Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacsonsaid that they recognized peace and order as a key factor in the continuous development process of every city and municipality, for the attainment of inclusive and sustainable progress in the province.
Also cited in the PPOC resolution were various conditions which served as the basis for the declaration, including the overwhelming support of all cities and municipalities of Negros Occidental to the government’s effort against insurgency; passing of resolutions by the cities and municipalities declaring Neg Occ in a “SIPS” status in all their respective areas and barangays; and the dismantling of all the remaining Guerilla Fronts (GFs) in the province, among others.
Sison said the speedy and timely approval of the PPOC resolution to declare Neg Occidental in a state of “SIPS” is one testament of the unwavering resolve of the provincial local government to end local communist armed conflict in the province.
“This declaration is a manifestation of the strong collaboration and solid partnership of the government forces, local government units, government agencies, private sector, and the people of Negros Occidental to achieve a common goal – a province with Stable Internal Peace and Security,” he stressed.*
