By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – The Local Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (LTF-ELCAC) of Escalante City, Negros Occidental turned over P20,695,000 worth of farm machineries to seven barangays last Monday.
Nine four-wheel drive tractors and two hand tractors were turned over to Barangays Paitan, Dian-ay, Mabini, Libertad, Pinapugasan, Udtongan, and Washington (1) in a ceremony held at the city coliseum.
The project is in collaboration with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade (IBde), and the 79th Infantry Battalion (IB).
These projects were funded through the Local Government Support Fund – Support to the Barangay Development Program (LGSF-SBDP) initiated by the national government.
Speaking on behalf of the recipient barangays, Association of Barangay Captain President Richard Pios Sr., said the provision of farm tractors would help farmers increase their farm production and secure additional income for their families.
Brigadier General Inocencio Pasaporte, 303rd IBde commander, said the event marked the beginning of the roll-out of the barangay development programs (BDPs) in the province cleared of the communist terrorist groups (CTGs) affectation.
Out of 25 barangays in northern Negros which were considered “cleared” from the influence of communist rebels, 14 are from Escalante City, according to the Army.
These projects would bring benefits not only to the recipient barangays but also to the entire province, Pasaporte said.
For his part, Lieutenant Colonel J-jay Javines, 79th IB commander, said the implementation of the BDP was the response of the government to the issues and concerns being exploited and used by the communist New People’s Army (NPA) terrorists (CNTs).
Further, Mayor Melecio Yap Jr. lauded the efforts of the Philippine Army and underscored the importance of the active participation of the populace in defeating insurgency.
“The Philippine Army and the Armed Forces have done their share. Now, it is our time to do our part. We will not only bring the government closer to the people but we will involve the people in our governance”, the mayor said.
