By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Amid an uptick of violence in the province that has already claimed the lives of 20 people, Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo, before members of the Provincial Peace and Order Council yesterday morning at the old Sangguniang Session Hall in Dumaguete City, formally announced the creation of the Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.
According to the Negros Oriental provincial government, the task force was created in response to Executive Order No. 70, issued last year by President Rodrigo Duterte, which seeks to “attain inclusive and sustainable peace through intensified development and other peace-building initiatives.”
The order highlighted a “whole-of-nation” approach, which prioritizes the delivery of basic services and social development packages as a means of addressing the root causes of insurgency.
In addition, Degamo met with Philippine Army 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, Brigadier General Benedict Arevalo, and 302nd Infantry Brigade commander, Brigadier General Ignacio Madriaga, where both commanders expressed their confidence that the newly-created task force will further boost the campaign against the New People’s Army and prevent further killings in the province./DGB, WDJ