THE province of Palawan has been declared insurgency-free with the defeat of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) there, the AFP’s Western Command (Wescom) said yesterday.
The declaration was made through a joint resolution adopted last Friday by the Palawan Provincial Task to End Local Communist Armed Conflict and Provincial Peace and Order Council.
Wescom is a key member of both the provincial task force and the provincial peace and order council.
Wescom said the “backbone of the communist terrorist group” in Palawan was “crushed” due to “focused military operations, coupled with community support programs and inter-agency collaboration.”
These efforts, it said, led to the neutralization (either killed, apprehended or have surrendered) of NPA leaders and members, and recovery of their firearms and explosives and other war materiel.
“Western Command is thanking not only our gallant and dedicated joint forces, but also our partner agencies and the people of the entire province for working so hard to achieve our shared dream of a safe, secure and communist terrorist-free Palawan,” said Wescom commander Vice Adm. Alberto Carlos.
With the declaration of Palawan as insurgency-free, Carlos said “we can all enjoy a more peaceful and progressive home for the locals, and indeed the most desired destination for our visitors world-wide.
Carlos urged the people of Palawan to “keep our bayanihan spirit alive to safeguard our internal security gains”
Carlos also urged them “to continue working together for progress and good governance, and to prevent the resurgence of the communist terrorists in the province.”
Brig. Gen. Jimmy Larida, commander of Wescom’s JoinT Task Force Peacock, said the path towards an insurgency-free Palawan “was not an easy journey.
“But because of our collaborative efforts, we have protected our communities and people from being vulnerable from enemy deception and unlawful activities, moving us to where we are now,” said Larida.
“All these efforts have sustained the gains of the whole-of-government efforts leading to the end of insurgency in Palawan,” added Larida.
Since the creation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict in 2016, Wescom said 214 former rebels have benefited from the provincial and national integration programs while 118 firearms were recovered.
It did not, however, say how many rebels were killed or apprehended in the province.
Among the prominent leaders killed in Palawan were Bonifacio Magramo and Andrea Rosal, daughter of the late NPA icon Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal.
Magramo and Rosal, along with three other rebels, died in a firefight with Marines in Brooke’s Point town in Palawan in September 2020.
Magramo and Rosal were secretary and deputy secretary, respectively, of the NPA’s Sub-Regional Military Area-4E, operating in the province, before their death.
