Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lascon said Wednesday, May 12, that he is issuing an executive order creating a provincial peace panel for dialogs with Communist rebels.
The peace panel will be a multi-sectoral body that will include the private sector, including the Church and the academe, Lacson said.
This is in compliance with a national government directive and they will be guided by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, he said.
This is one of the targets of the Duterte administration to end the Communist armed struggle on the local level, Lacson said.
The panel is expected to hold exploratory dialogs with local Communist terrorist groups.
The DILG has asked local government units in Negros Occidental to also submit the composition of their peace panels, and so far 14 have submitted their lists.
Col. Inocencio Pasaporte, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said he is supportive of the move to create the panel for local peace engagements to give the communist rebels a chance to air their frustrations against the government so solutions can be found.
Pasaporte said said the Komiteng Rehiyonal-Negros/Cebu/Bohol/Siquijor is having a problem, and its members are demoralized by the many setbacks they suffered due to sustained government military operations.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines Central Command in Visayas has declared the dismantling of the New People’s Army KR-NCBS Northern Negros Front and its South East Front in Negros Island, he said.
The Army is also aiming to dismantle the NPA’s Central Negros Front (CN1), following the killing of its 10 red fighters, and the dismantling of its political organizations in the hinterland areas, he added.*