• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has declared that there are no remaining communist guerrilla groups in the country, as he assured the public that the government will prevent the resurgence of new ones.
Marcos, in his State Of the Nation Address on July 28, said the government will ensure that no such groups will be established again.
He assured the public that the government is committed to ensuring that no new insurgent groups will form.
Marcos reiterated his administration’s commitment to strengthening the defensive capabilities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
“We will continue beefing up our police and armed forces. There will be more and improved armaments, combat vehicles, weapons to make them more capable of comprehensively defending our islands,” he said
The President reported that thousands of insurgents who used to fight the government have already surrendered to authorities and rejoined the mainstream society to be reunited with their loved ones.
With the help of the private sector, Marcos said the communities of these former insurgents are now being developed.
“We have been constructing roads, irrigation and decent sources of livelihood for these communities,” he added.
Aside from livelihood programs, Marcos added that the government had already constructed health stations, classrooms, water systems, and street lights that already benefited some 13 million Filipinos who have been saved or removed from conflict.*
