Two Negrense lawmakers have expressed continued support for the collaboration between the local government units here and the national government in ensuring a safe and secure Negros Occidental.
Representatives Mercedes Alvarez (6th district) and Javier Miguel Benitez (3rd district) joined Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson in meeting with Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. at the Provincial Capitol over the weekend.
In a statement on Monday, May 25, Alvarez said Teodoro’s visit to Negros Occidental “underscores the importance of strengthening defense and disaster-response coordination as we build the new Negros Island Region.”
She noted that the Defense chief’s presence is vital “especially with ongoing military operations and Kanlaon Volcano’s active status.”
“We reaffirm our commitment to joint, collaborative efforts between the national government and [local government units] to protect our communities, enhance readiness and ensure swift, unified responses to any threat or emergency,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez’s legislative district includes the cities Kabankalan and Sipalay as well as the municipalities of Hinoba-an, Ilog, Candoni, and Cauayan in southern Negros.
In a separate statement, Benitez thanked Lacson for inviting him to the meeting with Teodoro, where they discussed “public order, safety and development in Negros Occidental.”
“Public order comes first. Without it, progress never reaches the people who need it,” the neophyte lawmaker said.
Benitez noted that “when a province is safe, progress reaches even the person at the back of the line.”
“There is more to do, but on the safety and future of every Negrosanon, the province and the national government are working as one,” he added.
On Saturday, May 23, Teodoro met with troops of the Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion in Sagay City and 15th Infantry Battalion in Cauayan town.
His visit follows both units’ operational accomplishments in Negros Occidental, where two separate encounters between government troops and NPA remnants — in Toboso on April 19 and in Cauayan on May 16 — resulted in the death of 24 rebel combatants.
In Toboso, 19 persons identified as NPA members died, among them Roger Fabillar Tapang, the leader of the dismantled Northern Negros Front, while in Cauayan, five NPA remnants were killed, including Vince Francis Dingding, the secretary of the dismantled Southwest Negros Front. (PNA)