Development pushed to end Iloilo’s insurgency
ILOILO CITY – Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. is focusing on development as a crucial strategy to combat insurgency in Iloilo and the rest of Western Visayas, a move that came two weeks after three alleged leaders of the New People’s Army (NPA) on Panay Island were killed in military operations in the mountain village of Cabatangan in Lambunao town.
The governor stressed that the key to ending armed conflict lies in improving the lives of those at the grassroots level and bringing essential government services directly to them.
“Our solution really is development (of the countryside),” he said.
Defensor said the provincial government would also explore innovative methods to help former rebels who have abandoned their armed struggle and would work on the activation of local peace engagement councils.
The province would also align its efforts with national strategies to support the families of rebels and encourage them to reintegrate into society, he added.
Former rebels, he said, are welcome to voice their concerns and visit him in the Capitol to discuss their needs, adding, “we need to help them so it will be easier for us to bring them back to us.”
Unfortunate reality
Defensor said the ongoing conflict between the government and communist rebels remained grave concern, describing the situation as a “very unfortunate reality.”
He said his administration would work closely with all stakeholders, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies, to find a resolution to insurgency-related concerns in the province.
Iloilo province recently requested the government for reversion of unspent funds allocated under its Support to Barangay Development Program (SBDP), a government initiative aimed at delivering basic services in conflict-affected areas. The SBDP received P720 million in 2021 for 165 projects.
However, due to unspent allocations, P196.9 million in undisbursed funds was returned to the Bureau of the Treasury.
The projects the SBDP were to implement included farm-to-market roads, health stations, school buildings, water and sanitation systems, rural electrification, and social services such as agricultural and livelihood training, projects, and immediate cash assistance to individuals and families.
Defensor said his development-first approach, combined with collaborative peace efforts, aims to bring lasting stability to the region by addressing the root causes of insurgency and providing tangible support to those most affected.
Slain rebels
Insurgency remained an issue on Panay Island in the wake of the killing of three New People’s Army leaders in separate incidents in Lambunao on Aug. 15.
The fatalities were identified as Vicente Hinojales, regional secretary of Komiteng Rehiyon-Panay (KR-P) who hailed from Cotabato province and relocated to Panay in 2017; Maria Concepcion Araneta Bocala, the group’s first deputy secretary; and Vivian Torato Teodosio, secretary of the central front of KR-Panay.
Hinojales was believed to be part of the group that clashed with soldiers in Barangay Cabatangan on Aug. 7 and in Barangay Aglonok in the adjacent town of Calinog on Aug. 5 and 8.
He was wanted for a string of criminal cases in Agusan del Sur, including arson, kidnapping, and serious illegal detention; and was linked to the 2017 raid of a local police station and the ambush of a police vehicle in Maasin town, Iloilo, the military said.
Bocala had a P5.3 million bounty on her head for murder and was a prominent figure in the NPA who was arrested in 2015 but released in 2016 to participate in the peace talks between the government and the NPA in Norway, the Army said.
When the peace talks were suspended in February 2017 by then President Rodrigo Duterte, she went underground and did not attend the court hearings for her case.
