The Philippine Army is waiting for the availability of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to declare Negros Island under Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS), Brig. Gen. Orlando Edralin, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said on Wednesday, May 15.
Edralin said the 3rd Infantry Division is coordinating with the Office of the President on the availability of Marcos to come to Negros to make the declaration.
He pointed out that Negros Occidental and Oriental have already been declared under SIP status.
The president during his visit to the 3ID last year committed to return to Negros to personally declare the SIPS status of Island, Edralin said.
The criteria for SIPS is that the number of armed rebels are at a manageable level, all of the guerilla fronts on the island have been dismantled, and the rebels’ previous controlled barangays have been cleared of their influence, Edralin said.
Edralin said the recent rebels’ killing of civilians whom they have tagged as military spies is a propaganda ploy to make their presence felt.*