TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol - The Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) 7 has urged the Armed Forces of the Philippines, particularly the 302nd Brigade of the Philippine Army to clear the mountains of Negros Oriental with rebels and declare the province insurgency-free in three years. Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, who chairs the RPOC, made this challenge to the PA brigade during the RPOC 7 meeting in Tagbilaran City following a presentation made by the 302nd Brigade's Col. Manuel Ochotorena. Ochotorena oversees PA troops deployment in Negros Oriental. Garcia and Bohol Governor Edgar Chatto challenged Ochotorena to clear out the mountain terrains of Negros Oriental of rebels, asking the military officer to ensure that these terroristic elements will no longer make their presence felt in Bohol and Cebu. Based on his presentation made during the RPOC 7 meeting, Ochotorena said rebels from Cebu and Bohol have fled to Negros Oriental following the series of operations conducted by the military. Plunged into the highly impenetrable terrains of Negros Oriental and the boundary to Negros Occidental, the army operations have been fairly successful since rebels who cross the border to Negros Occidental can hardly be pursued.
Compounded by the problem of boundaries in the regions, PRO 7 Director Lani-O Nerez added that the insurgency problem in Negros island can not be seen as a problem only of Negros Oriental but of Negros Occidental as well. Officially getting the mandate to end insurgency there since July 1, 2010, Ochotorena revealed that his unit has been realigned from a bigger area of responsibility to concentrate mainly on operations in eastern Negros.
During the same meeting, authorities agreed that more police operations like road checkpoints would be conducted in a bid to recover some 49,000 loose firearms still uncollected in Central Visayas. The council said that while the total crime volume in the region may have dipped by 18 percent, the number of loose firearms, on the other hand, went up. In Cebu City, there were 313 cases involving loose firearms from January to June, the highest in Central Visayas. The firearms were used in robberies and murder cases. Cebu province ranks second with 176 cases and Bohol province third with 146 cases.
