Philippine Information Agency Central Visayas

  ELCAC Bohol coordinator Romeo Teruel asking relatives of former rebels to convince their family members who left the underground movement to avail of the government’s amnesty program now that there is a  Local Amnesty Board (LAB) in Bohol.  (PIA Bohol) TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA) – The Legal Cluster of the Task Force on Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) in the province is urging former rebels to apply for Presidential Amnesty, especially now that a Local Amnesty Board (LAB) office has opened in Bohol.  According to ELCAC Bohol coordinator Romeo Teruel, rebels who left the underground movement may apply for the government’s amnesty program to extinguish their criminal liability for acts committed in pursuit of political beliefs.  “These people have one option to be cleared of their crimes done in pursuit of their political beliefs – get an amnesty,” said Teruel.  Former rebels or members of a guerilla front organization who have a pending case...

  DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental (PIA) -- After struggling with a lack of access to safe drinking water for several years, potable water is now a part of life for the residents of Brgy. Lumapao in the mountain city of Canlaon.  Brgy. Lumapao earlier received a water system project and water reservoir under the Barangay Development Program (BDP) after it was declared to be insurgency-free by the Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF- ELCAC).  It is one of two barangays in Canlaon City previously tagged as conflict areas by the PTF-ELCAC  due to the presence of communist insurgents.  “The lack of potable water was one of the prevailing issues identified by the community support program team in the area,” said Engr. Armand Mangubat, focal person of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) on the Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP). In the municipality of Tayasan, the students and the teachers in Brgy. Bato are now ben...

  DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental, Nov. 9 (PIA) -- The mayors and barangay officials in the province haved signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to reinforce their crucial roles in winning the fight against communist insurgency in their areas. Philippine Army 302nd Infantry Brigade Commander Brigadier Gen. Joey Escanillas cited the significant roles of local chief executives in the campaign against communist terrorist groups (CTG) to end local communist armed conflict (ELCAC) during the MOA signing in Dumaguete City. Escanillas said the contract pushes for local executives to implement ELCAC programs, most of which are led by the provincial government. “Being at the forefront in their respective areas, and many of the members of these CTGs are their constituents, the mayors should lead the delivery of basic services to priority villages to prevent residents from being recruited by the CTG-New People’s Army (CTG-NPA),” Escanillas said. Most of the CTG-NPAs are roaming around t...

  TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Nov. 5 (PIA) -- Napulo ug upat pa lamang sa 48 ka lungsod ug syudad sa Bohol ang nakatuman sa gimandu ni Gobernador Erico Aristotle Aumentado nga mugnaon ug himoong aktibo ang  Municipal Task Force on Ending Local Communist Armed Conflicts (MTF ELCAC). Kini maoy gitaho ni  Provincial Task Force ELCAC coordinator  Romeo Teruel didto sa hiniusang tigum sa  Provincial Peace and Order Council ug Anti-Drug Abuse Council n ga gitambungan usab sa  mga mayor Oktubre 18. Kahinumduman nga gimandu ni Gob Aumentado ngadto sa mga mayor ang paghulma ug pagpalig-on sa MTF ELCAC, aron mas mapasayon ang mga paningkamot nga kahinginlan na ang duguong pakigbisug ilabi na kay bukas na ang local nga kagamhanan sa hisgutay sa kalinaw. Apan, butyag ni Teruel, hangtud karon, ang 14 nga mingtuman sa mandu sa gobernador mao lamang ang Antequera, San Isidro, Ubay, Sagbayan, Catigbian, Tubigon, Calape, Mabini, Duero, Anda, Valencia, Guindulman, Alicia ug...

  DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental (PIA) -- Public information officers in Negros Oriental underwent training on Conflict and Peace Development Reporting conducted by the Strategic Communications Cluster of the Negros Oriental Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NOTF ELCAC).  The training held on October 26 was attended by members of the Association of Negros Oriental Public Information Officers (ANOPIO).  It aimed to capacitate the public information officers (PIOs) in communicating the gains of the government’s ELCAC programs by improving their messaging, enhancing their writing skills, and inspiring them with ideas for social media content.  Former Philippine Information Agency Region 7 Director and Manila Bulletin Visayas Bureau Chief, Minerva Newman, who served as one of the resource persons, emphasized the importance of government communicators countering the negative propaganda pushed by left-leaning groups. “In strategic communications, we are de...

  DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental, October 11 (PIA) -- The country’s security forces plan to involve the religious leaders in Negros Island in the government’s anti-insurgency campaign and partner with them in echoing the state’s appeal to members of Communist-Terrorist-Groups (CTGs) to peacefully surrender and return to the folds of law. This was announced by top officials of the Philippine Army (PA) during a press conference on October 10, 2023 in Bacolod City. The Army officials also highlighted the different atrocities committed by CTGs in Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental provinces. Philippine Army Commanding Officer of the 3rd Infantry Division based in Jamindan, Capiz, MGen. Marion Sison, disclosed that they already sought the guidance of Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of the Diocese of San Carlos on how to push local peace engagement between the government and the Church. “Ang sabi ko po sa kanya tulungan niyo kami mapalakas ang local peace engagement, local peace dialogue dah...

  DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental, October 2 (PIA) -- The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) here is setting up a digital platform for farmers to directly link to institutional buyers or consumers to cut out middlemen and raise farmers’ incomes. This e-commerce platform will be implemented through the Poverty Reduction, Livelihood, and Employment Cluster (PRLEC) of the End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC), with an initial funding of P500,000 from the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC). This online application will directly market the farm products from conflict barangays of Dobdob in Valencia town and Talalak in Sta. Catalina as pilot areas.  DTI Information Officer Krystle Jade Bato said the project is in partnership with Agro-Digital PH for the use of their online platform through the Dobdob Farmers' Association as host in selling farm produce to hospitality industry, or in particular the Negros Oriental Resorts, Restaurants & Hotels Association (NORRHA)...

  TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, June 6 (PIA) -- The Office of the Governor here has recently issued Executive Order No. 28, series of 2023 stating that the two bishops in Bohol along with the Special Action Committee of the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) will serve as the advisory group of the Provincial Task Force (PTF) to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC). The Bishop of the Diocese of Tagbilaran and the Bishop of the Diocese of Talibon would serve as part of the advisory group of the Task Force ELCAC. The governor sits as the PTF Chair with the Vice Governor as the Vice Chair with all the national government agencies in Bohol represented by their heads, non-government organizations, and sectoral representatives as members. It also effectively reorganized and reconstituted the PTF ELCAC. Moving in line with former President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive order No 70, series of 2018 which created the National Task Force ELCAC, Aumentado aims to unify and simplify the tas...

  CEBU CITY, Cebu, Feb. 15 (PIA) -- Mga batan-on ug mga biktima sa inhustisya ug pang-abuso ang punterya sa pagrekrut ug mga bag-ong myembro sa  Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA). Kini maoy gibutyag sa kanhi myembro nga si Dereb didto sa buhatan sa PIA sa Cebu City atol sa  Kapihan sa PIA.  Butyag usab niya nga lisod ang pagtanggal sa ideolohiya sa komunista apan tungod sa programa nga  National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC)  nakita niya nga aduna nay mga programa ang gobyerno alang sa katawhan. Nag-awhag usab siya sa iyang mga kanhi kagrupo nga mobalik na sa sabakan sa gobyerno gumikan sa kataas na nga panahon wala magmadaugon ang CCP-NPA ug nga ang padayon nga mga pagrekrut sa mga batan-on mopasamot na hinuon sa kagubot sa Pilipinas gumikan sa mga sayop nga pagtuo. Isip pagpadayag sa iyang kinasingkasing nga pagbalik sa gobyerno, si Dereb na karon ang chairman sa  Sentrong Alyansa ng mga Mam...

DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental, Jan. 31 (PIA) -- The Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF-ELCAC) has reorganized and expanded its membership to intensify the anti-insurgency campaign in the province. Governor Roel Degamo, chair of Negros Oriental TF-ELCAC, said under E.O. 70 of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte, the Provincial Development Council (PDC) and the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) will be the members of the task force including all the mayors and civil society organizations. Through the ‘"whole-of-nation approach," Degamo said the provincial government has been implementing infrastructure projects for different insurgency-affected barangays. The governor said the national government also pledged some P4M for each of the identified conflict barangays. He said that through the national government funds, the roads of Barangays Luyang, Pantiao, Cabcaban, Nalundan in Mabinay town have already been cemented. “With these road construction...

  TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Jan. 23 (PIA) -- In the wake of the surrender of a key underground movement official in November, three more members of the remnants of the Bohol Party Committee of the New People's Army (NPA) are reportedly sending out surrender feelers.  This after the local armed terrorist members of the disbanded NPA are slowly realizing their lost cause coupled with major setbacks and the recent death of their visionary founder Joma Sison. Romeo Teruel, Bohol’s Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) executive assistant to Gov. Erico Aristotle Aumentado, shared with the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) that he hopes Bohol can seal the deal with three more members of the 11 known remnants of the disbanded rebel organization.  Teruel’s information also came a few weeks after the community in Brgy. Baunos in San Isidro reported to the military the presence of armed men camped at the isolated Sitio Bajong, after a visitation activity of their form...

  CEBU CITY, Cebu, March 30 (PIA) -- President Rodrigo Duterte will join the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict's (NTF-ELCAC's) joint meeting with the Regional Task Force (RTF) Central Visayas on March 31 in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu. To be accompanied by National Security Adviser Sec. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr., Duterte will lead a large gathering where a number of projects, including the "Barangay Development Program” funded by the President's anti-communist task force, will be presented.  NTF-ELCAC was created by Executive Order (E.O.) No 70 which the President himself chairs while Esperon is its vice chairperson. Dubbed "Pagpapatuloy ng Tamang Pamamahala (Continuing of Good Governance)", the RTF-7 through the regional agencies of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Labor and Employment, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources will showcase...