Formerly NPA-infested Leyte town declared rebel-free

BURAUEN, Leyte - This town, known in the past as a hotbed of insurgency in central Leyte, has been declared Thursday as completely free from threats of the New People's Army (NPA). Through a resolution of the municipal peace and order council and the Sangguniang Bayan, the town was declared to have Stable Internal Peace and Security Conditions (SIPC). Highlights of the declaration held at the Burauen Community College were the signing of a memorandum of understanding and pledge of commitment by different stakeholders and the simultaneous release of white doves. In his speech, Burauen Mayor Juanito Renomeron thanked all stakeholders who helped in attaining the conditions for the declaration of their town as having a peaceful status. 'In recent years, we have seen concerted efforts of the government in collaboration with the Philippine Army and the local government. We have addressed the root causes of rebellion through the delivery of programs and services. This has resulted in the diminished NPA's influe nce,' Renomeron said. Brig. Gen. Noel Vestuir, commander of the Philippine Army's 802nd Infantry Brigade, said there have been attempts by the NPA to return to Burauen, but they failed. 'Every time there are sightings of armed men in communities, they are reported to authorities. People of Burauen don't want NPA to set foot in Burauen again,' Vestuir said during the declaration rites. Under the Armed Forces of the Philippines' phases of normalization, an area is given the SIPS status if no violent terrorist activity has been conducted by the NPA for at least one year. Based on the military records, no atrocity has been recorded in the town's 77 villages since 2016. The town was considered a hiding place for armed rebels due to its thick forest and strategic location in the central part of Leyte province. The town is bounded by two cities -Ormoc and Baybay-as well as five towns. Burauen is the first town in the second congressional district of Leyte to attain such status and the eighth town in the entire Leyte province. The biggest in Leyte, Burauen is a 1st class town with a population of 52,511 people. Source: Philippines News agency