President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. declared on Friday Misamis Occidental as an “Insurgency-Free Province”.
According to the President, a strong political will and close collaboration of law enforcement agencies have led to the end of the communist rebellion and terrorist activities in the province.
In his speech at the Tangub City Global College (TCGC) in Tangub City, President Marcos emphasized that 60 barangays once affected by the Communist Terrorist Groups’ (CTGs) in Misamis Occidental are now free from their influence.
“We are gathered here today to celebrate a historic occasion, one that also took time in the making, the declaration of Misamis Occidental as an Insurgency-Free Province,” he told residents of Barangay Maloro, Tangub City.
“After years of consistent and resolute security, peace, and community-building, we have succeeded in our campaign to end the decades of conflict in the sixty barangays in your province that were once in the clutches of insurgent movements,” he added.
The administration credited the absence of CTGs-related violence to the neutralization of the groups’ key leaders in Misamis Occidental and Zamboanga del Sur during the first half of 2024 under President Marcos’ leadership.
The growing number of individuals choosing the peaceful paths and the weakening of armed rebellion also contributed to the province’s peaceful state.
“We have successfully dismantled the key leadership of the former insurgents operating in Misamis Occidental, which have now led to their reintegration into society,” the President said.
President Marcos also praised the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for their community development and reintegration programs for those returning to the fold of the law.
At least 51 barangays in Misamis Occidental benefitted from the Barangay Development Program (BDP) between 2021 to 2023. As of September, the Marcos administration completed 46 projects, including 44 farm-to-market roads (FMRs) and two other infrastructure projects involving the construction and development of roads and bridges in the province.
President Marcos added that 17 new projects are in the pipeline – nine are focused on the improvement of water supply systems and eight on the improvement of health stations, rural electrification and rehabilitation of schools. |PND
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