Samar lawmaker backs drive to end armed struggle

CATBALOGAN CITY –– A lawmaker has expressed her total support for the administration’s program to end the communist armed conflict in the country.

Rep. Sharee Ann Tan of Samar’s second congressional district said she “politely declined” to co-author a bill proposed by some of her colleagues at the House of Representatives to defund the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

The implementation of ELCAC in Samar, in particular, she said, was beneficial to the fight against the New People’s Army (NPA) as the province continues to battle with insurgents.

“We have different views (on insurgency). But for me, the insurgency is the main problem in Samar,” Tan said.

Under the program, barangays identified to have been cleared of insurgents will receive P20 million for their development project.

In Samar, 87 barangays from 12 towns have been identified to benefit from the P20-million fund for this year.

Major Gen. Pio Diñoso III, commanding officer of the 8th Infantry Division, said it’s about time to end the armed conflict in the region.

He said the money spent by the government to fight the rebels could be better used to address the needs of the people in the rural villages.

Diñoso said the national government is spending almost P5 billion a year for the soldiers’ salaries alone.

“If we don’t have an insurgency problem (in Eastern Visayas), there could be no military (and) the amount being used to address the concerns of our people in the villages are small compared to the amount spent for the military because we have these NPAs,” he said.

For one, Diñoso said in constructing a farm-to-market road, the government would spend only at least P20 million, a small amount compared to the allocation to defeat the rebels in the region.

The military in the region, together with the Department of Interior and Local Government, spearheaded a conference to address the need of various sectors to help end the insurgency in Eastern Visayas.

During the two-day event that ended May 25, Diñoso vowed to end the region’s insurgency as he sought assistance from the public and officials.

“We need to stop the insurgency right now for us to achieve peace and development,” he said.

LZB