While President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is satisfied with the accomplishments of the Philippine Army in sustaining peace efforts and weakening the presence of communist terrorist groups (CTGs) in Western Visayas, he stressed the need to ensure that these groups will no longer have the platform to finance its operations.

“I would (like to) congratulate you for the good progress that you’re making. Keep the pressure going…I know that the other units are also doing it in terms of the financing. But perhaps, you could put more emphasis on that,” he said in a situation briefing with officers in Camp General Macario Peralta Jr. in Jamindan, Capiz on Friday.

According to reports presented by the Philippine Army 3rd infantry Division Commander, Major General Marion Sison, the armed group is taking advantage of minority groups, usually the indigenous peoples.

They would pose as a humanitarian group who seeks financing from international institutions but the money they would get from the approved project proposals they submit abroad would not be remitted fully to the projects of their target minor groups.

President Marcos expressed optimism that clearing the region from insurgency is achievable given the decreasing trend of CTG force it has shown since 2019.

“We must keep on going and we’ll wait for your invitation to come back when you declare this area insurgent-free… I think it’s achievable,” he said.

The 3rd Infantry Division is part of the Joint Task Force (JTF) Spear, along with 301st Infantry Brigade, 302nd Infantry Brigade, 303rd Infantry Brigade, and Joint Task Group Cebu, with areas of operations covering Western Visayas and Central Visayas.

The JTF Spear is currently pursuing the remaining CTGs in their area, which include five guerilla fronts (GFs).

The JTF Spear, in partnership with concerned government agencies, have allocated farm-to-market and road concreting projects under the Barangay Development Plan (BDP) for various barangays which are in the various stages of procurement. |PND