By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – Lieutenant General Benedict Arevalo, chief of the Visayas Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), expressed confidence in the soldiers’ capabilities in Visayas to declare Negros Island in a State of Internal Peace and Security (SIPS).
“We want to be clear. We’re not saying we’re insurgency-free, but we’re SIPS so that we will not be construed as being too confident about the said declaration,” Arevalo stated during a media interview at his exit visit at the Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade (IBde) in Barangay Minoyan, Murcia, Negros Occidental yesterday.
Arevalo acknowledged the presence of New People’s Army (NPA) remnants, yet he emphasized their weakened state.
“We will not relax and will continue to be relentless in pursuing these remnants,” he added.
He noted that when the Army clears an area of NPA influence, the rebels allegedly attempt to show they are still present, which Arevalo deems critical.
“We should be able to monitor their activities if they’re trying to re-influence,” he said.
Citing the 100 percent government-initiated encounters of the 303rd IBde, Arevalo remarked on the significant improvement in insurgency conditions in Visayas.
“All the encounters initiated were practically won by government troops, clearly marking the success of our campaign,” he claimed.
“We’re practically at the endgame. However, I always remind the troops and the public that we cannot afford overconfidence,” he said.
Regarding the redeployment of forces on Negros Island once SIPS is declared, Arevalo mentioned that the decision would rest with the commanders. Still, he noted that they would not be moving troops out of Negros, learning from history.
The 3rd Infantry Division (ID) previously announced their aim to declare Negros Island in a state of SIPS in the first quarter of this year, following the dismantling of all guerrilla fronts (GFs) of Komiteng Rehiyon-Negros Cebu Bohol Siquijor (KR-NCBS) and the absence of significant violent incidents by the NPA for over a year.
On October 9, 2023, Central Negros 1 (CN1) was declared dismantled, followed by Central Negros 2 (CN2) on November 13, 2023. The South East Front (SEF) and Northern Negros Front (NNF) were dismantled on April 6, 2021, as reported by the 3ID.
As of February 1 this year, the South West Front (SWF) was declared dismantled at the Visayas Command level, pending a joint resolution from the National Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Center.