TACLOBAN CITY — Five local government units in Leyte remain without a formal declaration of Stable Internal Peace and Security Condition (SIPSC), even as military officials expressed confidence that the entire province could eventually achieve the status.
Lt. Col. Celeste Frank Sayson, commander of the 93rd Infantry Battalion, said the remaining areas are Tacloban City, Baybay City and the municipalities of Carigara, Jaro and Albuera.
The 93rd Infantry Battalion, based in Kananga, Leyte, has operational jurisdiction over Leyte, Biliran and Southern Leyte.
Of Leyte’s 40 municipalities and three cities, the five local government units are the only ones yet to receive SIPSC declarations.
Biliran was declared insurgency-free in September 2024, while Southern Leyte received its SIPSC declaration in May 2026.
Sayson said the military remains confident that the remaining declarations in Leyte would be achieved soon.
“We have a very bright future for our beloved province, specifically the three provinces, because it is only a matter of time before we declare the entire province of Leyte insurgency-free,” Sayson said.
He said the military would continue its efforts to end the insurgency in the area and encouraged remaining communist rebels to surrender.
“With God’s permission, may they all surrender, or if we encounter them again, we hope they will choose to surrender. We have a strong resolve to end this insurgency so that the whole province will be declared insurgency-free,” he said.
Sayson said the military is no longer monitoring any New People’s Army (NPA) members who originated from Leyte. However, intelligence reports indicate that 12 remaining rebels continue to operate in areas across Leyte Island and Biliran.
SIPSC is a formal security designation granted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to cities, municipalities or provinces that meet established peace and security benchmarks.
The declaration indicates that insurgent threats have been neutralized, armed conflict has been reduced to manageable levels and peace and order conditions have significantly improved.
The status is also intended to boost investor confidence, encourage tourism and support infrastructure development. It allows the military to gradually shift its primary focus from internal security operations to territorial defense, while the PNP assumes the lead role in maintaining peace and order.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
