By Ivy Tejano
DAVAO CITY – The Philippine Army’s 10th Infantry Division announced that it is targeting full insurgency-free status across its entire area of responsibility this year, with seven municipalities still awaiting administrative clearance for formal declaration.
Speaking during the Davao Peace and Security Press Corps briefing at the Royal Mandaya Hotel on Wednesday, Jan. 28, Major Ruben Gadut, chief of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division’s Public Affairs Office, reported there are no active New People’s Army armed units in its area.
However, Gadut clarified that the official declaration of full insurgency-free status for the remaining towns depends on the completion of the required documentation by the concerned local government units and their respective peace and order councils.
Gadut said the armed threat has already been neutralized and that the delay in the declaration is purely procedural. He added that while their division covers a wide operational area across several regions, the pending declaration is mainly in the northern part of its jurisdiction.
In Agusan del Sur province, the municipalities of Loreto, Bunawan, Trento, Sta. Josefa, San Francisco, and Veruela, as well as one barangay in La Paz, are still awaiting official recognition as insurgency-free. In Surigao del Sur, only Lingig town has yet to be declared cleared.
Meanwhile, the areas in the second district of North Cotabato province, parts of Sarangani Province, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and all 10 municipalities in Bukidnon have already been declared free of insurgency, according to Gadut.
The Army’s 10th Infantry Division reported that 92 former members of dismantled units under the NPA Southern Mindanao Regional Committee returned to the folds of the law on January 27, during a mass surrender ceremony in Barangay Sto. Niño in Talaingod town, Davao del Norte.
Gadut said the former rebels came from various dismantled guerrilla fronts, Pulang Bagani Commands, and regional headquarters. He added that the 60th Infantry Battalion facilitated the activity in coordination with local government officials.
During the ceremony, he said, the surrenderees turned over 29 assorted low-powered firearms. He added that they also received immediate financial assistance and food packs from the LGUs to support their reintegration.
Brigadier General Christopher Diaz, commander of the Army’s 1003rd Infantry Brigade, formally presented the group and described the event as the beginning of a new phase of peace and cooperation. He added that this is an embrace of peace.
Major General Alvin Luzon, commander of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, said the surrender marked a significant step toward sustained development in the region. He added that progress is achieved when communities and government work together.
Luzon, crediting the success of the whole-of-nation approach, said the mass surrender reinforces the division’s efforts to maintain insurgency-free conditions in the Davao Region and to prevent the reorganization of communist terrorist groups.
The SMRC was previously regarded as one of the strongest pillars of the communist movement due to its influence over resource-rich areas in the Davao Region, including parts of Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro, and Davao City.
With the return of the 92 former rebels, many of whom were from regional and sub-regional units, the official said it has further reduced the risk of resurgence in previously affected areas. “Now, Talaingod town is shifting toward tourism and agricultural development,” Luzon added.
The Army’s 10th Infantry Division said the presence of local leaders shows former rebels are now under civilian care, while the Indigenous Political Structure’s involvement reflects renewed community control and rejection of armed group influence.
