The commander of the 3rd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army on Tuesday, February 27, urged the newly-installed head of the 62nd Infantry Battalion to bring the number of rebels in Central Negros down to zero as they campaign for an insurgency-free region.
Lt. Col. Evelio Ilanga III, former executive officer of the 303IB in Murcia is the new commander of the 62IB with headquarters in Brgy. Libas, Isabela, Negros Occidental.
Maj. Gen. Marion Sison, 3ID Commander, said that Ilanga should make a conscious effort to fill the shoes left by the former commander as he cited that the cleared area has been a danger zone.
Ilanga succeeded Colonel William C Pesase Jr.
Sison said that there are only seven rebel remnants of the defunct Central Negros – 1, KR-NCBS, adding that, finding, fixing, and finishing them requires deliberate planning and foresight to destroy them completely.
“Its high time that we put an end to the local armed conflict, not only here in Negros but in the entire country”, Sison said.
In his response, Ilanga appealed to the public for their cooperation to ensure stable internal peace and security in Negros Island.
“To the Unifier Troopers, we shall remain committed as dependable partners in peace, security, and development,” he added.*