Bukidnon town declared ‘insurgency free’
COTABATO CITY — Sectoral leaders, among them datus of indigenous tribes, together declared Kibawe town in Bukidnon as cleared from the presence of the New People’s Army during a symbolic rite on Tuesday.
The event, organized by local executives, Kibawe multi-sector Municipal Peace and Order Council, the Army’s 10th Infantry Division (ID) and the Police Regional Office-10, was held at a function facility in the municipality.
Army Major Gen. Allan D. Hambala, commander of the 10th ID, told reporters on Thursday that credit for the feat should go to the local communities, the leaders of the highland tribes in the area and the units of the division in Bukidnon province.
“It was for the support of the local communities to the 10th ID’s pacification efforts that Kibawe had become virtually insurgency-free. We can’t thank them enough for that,” Mr. Hambala said.
Municipal officials and figureheads of the local communities have declared in recent months the municipalities of San Fernando, Kadingilan, Damulog, and Dangcagan towns in Bukidnon as insurgency-free during separate gatherings. — John Felix M. Unson
