Tag: Sagay City

25 ex-Red fighters surrender in NegOcc

BACOLOD CITY — A total of 25 former fighters of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Negros Occidental yielded to military and police authorities in northern Negros on Saturday.

The group, operating in the boundaries of Murcia and Don Salvador Benedicto towns and San Carlos City, surrendered after months of localized peace negotiations, in a ceremony held at the Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion (79IB) headquarters in Barangay Bato, Sagay City.

They turned over their firearms and took an oath of allegiance to the Philippine government before Col. Benedict Arevalo, commander of the 303rd Infantry Brigade; Police Col. Romeo Baleros, director of Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office; and Ma. Fatima Daiz, cluster leader of Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)-Negros Occidental North.

Col. Benedict Arevalo, commander of the 303rd Infantry Brigade, receives a surrendered firearm of a former rebel during the ceremony held at the Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion headquarters in Barangay Bato, Sagay City on Saturday.
Photo courtesy of 79th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army

The firearms included three M16 rifles, four Garand rifles, one M14 rifle, four shotguns, one .22-caliber Magnum rifle, one .38-caliver revolver, 12 .45-caliber pistols, two 9-mm submachine guns, 14 assorted rifle and pistol magazines loaded with ammunition, and two shotgun bandoleers with ammunition.

In a statement on Sunday, Lt. Col. Emilito Thaddeus Logan, commanding officer of 79IB, said the series of surrenders of former NPA rebels and their supporters can be attributed to the combined efforts of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, and concerned local government units.

These included the conduct of focused military operations, intelligence efforts, civil-military operations and reintegration efforts, and the implementation of peace and development programs, he added.

“The barangay officials also played an important role in urging the NPA rebels to give up violence. The Army recognizes their efforts and support to the localized peace talks initiated by the 303rd Infantry Brigade since November last year,” Logan said.

Arevalo said former rebels deserve another chance to lead normal lives after their surrender because they were only deceived by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front.

Police Lt. Col. Mario Baquiran Jr., commander of 1st Provincial Mobile Force Company, said it is high time the rebels realize that they are just being used and fooled.

“The communist organizers and recruiters agitate them on various issues not meant to be resolved,” he added.

Personnel of the 79IB and the DILG will facilitate enrolment of the former rebels into the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program.

Through the program, a former rebel is entitled to receive immediate assistance of PHP15,000; livelihood assistance, PHP50,000; firearms remuneration, PHP12,000 to PHP500,000; half-way house assistance; PhilHealth enrolment and medical assistance; education assistance; housing assistance; legal assistance; and healing and reconciliation initiatives. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1063456

35 ex-NPA backers take oath of allegiance to gov’t

BACOLOD CITY — Some 35 residents of Escalante City, Negros Occidental were the latest group of former mass base supporters of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) who expressed their loyalty to the Philippine government.

The participants, who come from the villages of Binaguiohan, Pinapugasan, Paitan, and Dian-ay, took their oath of allegiance before Pastor Morito Panadero at the headquarters of the Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Bato, Sagay City on Saturday.

The 35 residents of Escalante City, Negros Occidental who took their oath of allegiance to the Philippine government at the headquarters of the Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Bato, Sagay City on Feb. 23, 2019.
Photo courtesy of 79th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army

Lt. Col. Emelito Thaddeus Logan, commanding officer of the 79IB, in a statement on Sunday night, welcomed the decision of the Escalante City residents to renounce their support to the communist rebels.

Logan said he is thankful for the turnout of their campaign of encouraging the Negrenses to stop supporting the rebel groups to have lasting peace and progress in Negros Occidental.

Both the United States and the European Union have declared the CPP-NPA as a terrorist group.

The group of 35 is the second from northern Negros who took their oath of allegiance in a week after the 80 former members and mass supporters of the CPP-NPA who also pledged loyalty to the government in Victorias City on Friday, also through the 79IB.

Logan earlier said the groups denouncing support to the CPP-NPA came after a series of insurgency awareness sessions conducted by their community support program teams.

The 80 participants are from Barangays Estado and Gawahon in Victorias City; Caduhaan in Cadiz City; Canlusong in EB Magalona and San Pablo in Manapla. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1062884

80 ex-NPA supporters in north Negros vow loyalty to gov’t

BACOLOD CITY — Some 80 former members and mass supporters of the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in northern Negros pledged loyalty to the government in a ceremony held at the covered court of Barangay 5 in Victorias City on Friday.

They took their oath of allegiance during the event that was initiated by the Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion (IB) based in Sagay City, Negros Occidental.

Some 80 former members and mass supporters of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army from five villages in northern Negros take their oath of allegiance to the government in a ceremony held at the covered court of Barangay 5 inVictorias City on Friday (Feb. 22, 2019).
Photo courtesy of 79th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army

Lt. Col. Emelito Thaddeus Logan, commander of the 79th IB, said in a statement that this was the result of the series of insurgency awareness sessions conducted by their Community Support Program (CSP) teams.

“It made them realize the lies and deceptions of the communist terrorists. They voluntarily reached out to the government troops, shared their experiences, and revealed that they were providing support to the CPP-NPA,” he added.

They are from barangays Estado and Gawahon in Victorias City; Caduhaan in Cadiz City; Canlusong in EB Magalona; and San Pablo in Manapla.

Logan said the participants admitted providing material, financial, and moral support to the CPP-NPA and some of them even became fighters.

Others who took the oath included former Militia ng Bayan members and a courier.

Logan said the participants appreciated the efforts of the CSP teams and the local governments in addressing their issues and concerns to achieve lasting peace and development.

He also thanked the group for their cooperation, and the city government of Victorias for its unconditional support and partnership.

The United States and European Union have declared the CPP-NPA as a terrorist group. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1062775

NegOcc LGUs upgrade abattoirs to meet standards

BACOLOD CITY — Local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental are seeking to upgrade their slaughterhouse facilities to meet the Double A (“AA”) classification required by the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS).

These facilities, considered as locally registered meat establishments (LRMEs), are located in 11 cities and nine municipalities and classified under the “A” category since these have not yet acquired NMIS accreditation.

This was reported by the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) as of Tuesday as its Animal Health and Meat Inspection Services Division headed by Dr. Ryan Janoya continues to monitor the operations of various slaughterhouses in the province.


Dr. Sheila Ann Billena, plant manager of Sagay City Abattoir, and Dr. Benzon Jadoc, veterinarian for District II, during a previous inspection of the local government-run slaughterhouse in Sagay City, Negros Occidental.
File photo from PVO-Negros Occidental

Currently, Negros Occidental has three slaughterhouses with “AA” accreditation, including the Sagay Abattoir and Meat Processing Plant in Sagay City, Bacolod City Slaughterhouse, and Victorias Foods Corp. in Victorias City.

Janoya said based on their monitoring this month, the Sagay abattoir has boosted its income during the last quarter of 2018. “This is attributed to the expanded operation of the facility starting last September,” he said.

Janoya said the slaughterhouse in Sagay is now catering to more local commercial hog raisers, and making meat products available to areas outside the province like Cebu City.

The abattoir located in northern Negros, which can slaughter 50 to 100 heads per hour, has a cold storage capacity of 50 to 100 tons of pork carcass, poultry, and other meat products.

In the last quarter of last year, the Sagay facility started to market meat products instead of live animals, especially pork.

The provincial government has been promoting the marketing of frozen pork carcass given that it is more beneficial compared to selling live animals.

The selling of pork carcass eliminates loss weight, injuries and mortalities among animals during shipment affecting meat quality, the PVO said.

Slaughterhouses with “AA” classification are those facilities and operational procedures sufficiently adequate that the livestock and fowls slaughtered are suitable for sale in any market, within the country. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1059671