On the same month that its people celebrate the province’s 79th foundation anniversary, Catanduanes has been declared free from the influence of communist insurgents by the Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Council (JPSCC).
Last Oct. 10, 2024, the council composed of officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Philippine Army (PA) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) approved Resolution No. 01-2024 declaring the province of Catanduanes as “free from Community Terrorist Group (CTG) Influence and Affectation.”
Crafted during the council meeting at the Camp Francisco Camacho conference room, the resolution was signed by 902nd Brigade, 9th Infantry Division (PA) Commander BGen. William P. Peñafiel Jr., Catanduanes PNP Provincial Director PCol. Edward D. Quijano, and Coast Guard Station Catanduanes Commander LTJG. Kenny E. Villafuerte.
The council based its decision on the Periodic Status Report (PSR) for the 2nd Quarter of CY 2024 of the Joint AFP/PNP Intelligence Coordinating Committee (JAPICC) in the Bicol region.
“The Kilusang Larangang Gerilya 2, Sub-Regional Committee 2 (KLG2, SRC2) with only 4 remaining members, including its leadership, are no longer active in the province of Catanduanes,” the committee stated.
This resulted in the categorization of all the 315 barangays of the entire province as “cleared” and “not included in the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) affectation of Konsolidado, Kinokonsalida, Ekspansyon, and Rekobiri (KKER) areas under the Bicol Regional Party Committee (BRPC).”
The report also stressed that there are no existing “Sectoral Front Organizations (SFOs) or CTG-Affected Mass Organizations (CAMOs)” that are active in the area.
Since the 2nd quarter of 2022, there have been no “CTG-initiated atrocities” in the island province as monitored by the Catanduanes police, the 902nd Brigade and CGS Catanduanes based on their records.
The successful dismantling of the local communist guerrilla unit in Catanduanes is a result of the collaborative efforts of the AFP, PNP, PCG, local government units and national government agencies in the province as well as the unwavering support of the community, the JPSCC stated.
The declaration of the province as free from CTG influence, it stressed, will promote economic growth and political stability, as well as foster unity among peace-loving Catandunganons, serving as a testament to the province’s resilience and commitment to peace and development.
This favorable development comes nine years after the AFP declared Catanduanes as a “Conflict Manageable and Ready for Development (CMRD)” area.
Government forces issued the declaration in 2015 after determining that the local insurgency problem at the time had already been contained, marking the resumption of the island’s quest for inclusive development after two decades of intermittent clashes and ambuscades involving the NPA.
The last three violent incidents, records show, occurred in the first quarter of 2022, with police and Army personnel exchanging fire with about 10 NPA members in Hinipaan, Bagamanoc on Jan. 9, 2022, resulting in the death of a communist guerilla and the recovery of two firearms, an improvised explosive device and other items.
On Feb. 1, 2022, a motorcycle-riding team from San Miguel police trying to serve arrest warrants in sitio Tucao in barangay Juan M. Alberto was ambushed by guerillas waiting in ambush, with intelligence officer PSMS John Teston killed in action.
Then on March 10 that same year, an Army unit raided an NPA hideout in sitio Kuripdas in the same barangay, with one rebel killed in the 45-minute firefight that also led to the capture of an M14 rifle and 17 IEDS, and propaganda materials.
Several NPA regulars and militia members also surrendered since then, with the former rebels receiving cash and livelihood assistance from the national government under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
Eleven (11) barangays in Catanduanes were also recipients of infrastructure projects in 2022 under the Support for Barangay Development Program (SBDP) of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
The completed projects worth a total of P44 million are the following: Construction of Level II Potable Water Supply System, Mabini, Caramoran (P4,000,000); Construction of Level II Potable Water Supply System, Balognonan, Pandan (P4,000,000); Construction of Health Station, Cabuyoan, Panganiban (P4,000,000); Upgrading of Water Supply System, Bislig. San Andres (P4,000,000); Concreting of Farm-to-Market Road, Carangag, San Andres (P2,000,000); Construction of School Building (Day Care Center), Carangag, San Andres (P2,000,000); Construction of Level III Potable Water Supply System, Datag, San Andres (P4,000,000); Rehabilitation/Upgrading of Level III Potable Water Supply System, Puting Baybay, San Andres (P4,000,000); Concreting of Farm-to-Market Road, San Isidro, San Andres (P4,000,000); Concreting of Farm-to-Market Road, San Vicente, San Andres (P4,000,000); Construction of School Building (Day Care Center), Timbaan, San Andres (P4,000,000); Opening and Concreting of Farm-to-Market Road, Sogod-Tibgao, Virac (P2,000,000); and Rehabilitation/Upgrading of Level III Potable Water Supply System Sogod-Tibgao (P2,000,000).
For 2023, according to the DILG Catanduanes provincial office, 16 projects were funded in Caramoran, San Miguel and Virac, with just one of them on-going.
The projects worth a total of P66 million are the following: Caramoran – school building and water system in Obi; San Miguel – two road projects in Balatohan, road and water system in J.M. Alberto, road and health station in Kilikilihan, road and water system in Pagsangahan, road in San Marcos, and road in Tobrehon; and Virac – health station in Danicop, solar streetlights and health station in Dugui San Isidro, and a road in Dugui Too. Only the health station in Dugui San Isidro is ongoing, with an accomplishment of 92 percent as of latest report.
While there was no funding allocation for Catanduanes in the SBDP in the 2024 national budget, four projects valued at P20 million in all have been proposed in FY 2025, all of them in Gigmoto: construction of Level III potable water supply system in Biong (P10 million), improvement of Level III water system in San Pedro (P2.5 million), construction of health station in San Pedro (P5 million), and provision of renewable energy-based electrification in San Pedro (P2.5 million).
A flagship initiative of the NTF-ELCAC, the BDP aims to improve the quality of life in communities affected by local communist armed conflict by delivering essential services and socio-economic development projects. This approach is designed to reduce local support for insurgents and foster stability in the affected areas.