Romblon now cleared of insurgents

CAMP NAKAR, Quezon - Romblon is the second province, after Cavite, in Southern Luzon to be declared insurgency-free.

The declaration came with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS) of Romblon held at the Convention Center Rizal, in Odiongan, Romblon.

The document was signed by Romblon Gov. Eduardo C. Firmalo and Major Gen. Rhoderick Parayno, commander of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division.

Major Gen. Gilbert Gapay, commander of the Southern Luzon Command (Solcom) thanked the local chief executives for spearheading the preservation of peace in Romblon.

Parayno, as the head of Joint Task Force Katagalugan, called the MOU "another milestone towards the continuous growth and development of Romblon."

The declaration means that communist insurgents and politico-military organizations no longer pose a threat to peace and order.

SIPS is the highest achievable security status in which a province is categorized as cleared, unaffected and are relatively peaceful.

The Local Government Units (LGUs) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) acknowledges and accepts that only Law Enforcement Operations (LEOs) are needed in the province and will signify that the province is already normalized.

Col. Marceliano V. Teofilo, commander of the Army’s 203rd Brigade who has operational jurisdiction over the area, assured the provincial government that his troops will continue to support and monitor the peace progress in Romblon even if it has been declared as rebelunaffected.

"Peace is everyone's responsibility and Romblon is a worthy example of this," said Gapay. He, along with the other speakers, emphasized that as long as all sectors work together, any province can achieve peace just like Romblon.