TACLOBAN CITY — Palapag has been declared under a Stable Internal Peace and Security Condition (SIPSC), making it the 18th municipality in Northern Samar to attain the status following decades of armed conflict and government security efforts.

The declaration was formalized through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) involving the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), local government, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU).

The signatories also signed a pledge of commitment, affirming their responsibility to preserve Palapag’s peace and security gains and sustain cooperation among government agencies, security forces, local officials and communities.

Among those who signed the MOU were AFP spokesperson Lt. Col. Francel Margareth Padilla, 8th Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Peter Burgonio, Northern Samar Gov. Harris Ongchuan, DILG Northern Samar Provincial Director Jinky Maquelabit, Northern Samar Police Provincial Office director PCol. George Buyacao Jr., and OPAPRU Area Coordinator Imelda Bonifacio.

Palapag Mayor Florence Batula led officials representing the municipal government.
The declaration marks a significant change for a municipality that, according to Batula, spent decades pursuing lasting peace.

“For almost four decades, peace in Palapag was promised, repeatedly pursued, but never realized,” Batula said.

He recalled the deployment of various infantry battalions, changes in security strategies and continuing military operations over the years as successive generations of Palapagnons waited for more lasting peace in their communities.

Batula said the SIPSC declaration was particularly meaningful to him because of an incident on May 2, 2014, when two of his military escorts were forcibly taken while they were made to lie on the ground.

He said he tried to negotiate for their release, even offering money, firearms and other items in an effort to save them. The attempt failed, and he later faced accusations related to the incident, with questions raised about his credibility as a government official.
“I hold on to one conviction. Truth may be delayed but it cannot be hidden forever. I, too, was a victim of that incident,” Batula said.

He said the experience instead strengthened his determination, as chair of the Municipal Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (MTF-ELCAC), to pursue localized peace initiatives.

Batula said the municipality’s approach combined security operations with dialogue, peace-building, government presence and direct engagement with families and communities.
He credited the SIPSC declaration to the collective efforts of government agencies and security forces, including the 78th Infantry Battalion, 31st Special Action Force, 3rd Special Action Force, Palapag Municipal Police Station, Northern Samar Police Provincial Office, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Coast Guard and Maritime Police, among others.
He also thanked the DILG and other agencies and individuals involved in the municipality’s peace initiatives.

Batula said the peace gains have coincided with visible changes in Palapag’s economy and infrastructure, including the entry of a bank, operation of a public transport terminal, growth of resorts and restaurants, additional gasoline stations and direct public transportation links to Tacloban.

“These are not merely economic indicators. They represent something deeper: peace creates confidence, confidence attracts investments, and investment expands opportunity,” he said.

The SIPSC declaration also adds another chapter to Palapag’s long history as an important community in Northern Samar.

During the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade, Palapag served as a port of refuge and resupply because of its strategic location near the San Bernardino Strait and its natural harbor.
The town also became the center of the Sumuroy Revolt in 1649, an uprising against Spanish colonial authorities over forced naval labor led by Agustin Sumuroy. The revolt later spread to other areas of the Visayas and Mindanao.

In 1614, Palapag was selected by the Jesuits as the cabecera, or head town, for Northern and Eastern Samar, partly because of difficulties in reaching the inland settlement of Catubig.

With its SIPSC declaration, Palapag joins the other municipalities in Northern Samar that have transitioned from prolonged security challenges toward a framework focused on sustaining peace and preventing a resurgence of armed conflict.

(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

CATARMAN, Northern Samar— Four members of the New People’s Army (NPA) surrendered to authorities in Northern Samar, while security forces recovered six high-powered rifles from two concealed caches during follow-up operations from Sept. 10 to 13.
The four, identified only by their aliases “Junjun,” “Yana,” “Tanggol,” and “Digma,” were members of the NPA’s Sub-Regional Guerrilla Unit under the Sub-Regional Committee Arctic of the Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee, according to the military.

Their surrender was facilitated through a family-centered Local Peace Engagement involving local government officials, soldiers and police officers.

The military said the former rebels cited difficult living conditions, dwindling local support and food shortages as among the reasons they decided to abandon the armed struggle and return to their families.

They also reportedly complained of strict leadership and alleged disregard for the welfare of members under Chadwick Suazo, alias “Estella,” whom the military identified as a leader of the group.

Following the surrender, joint military and police forces conducted operations in the vicinity of Can-erib in Sityo Canonghan, Barangay Osmeña, Palapag, Northern Samar.
The operation led to the discovery of two weapons caches containing four M16 rifles and two M14 rifles.

Personnel from the 78th Infantry Battalion, 20th Infantry Battalion, 32nd Special Action Company and 3rd Special Action Battalion of the Philippine National Police took part in the operation.

The four surrenderers are undergoing medical and dental examinations, custodial debriefing and other procedures for their proper disposition, the military said.

The 803rd Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division, headed by Brig. Gen. Carmelito Pangatungan, said it would continue supporting peace initiatives and efforts to help NPA members return to their families and communities through legal and peaceful means.

The brigade also called on remaining NPA members to lay down their arms and avail themselves of government reintegration and assistance programs.

(EUGENE M. ENANO)

TACLOBAN CITY — Guiuan, Eastern Samar has strengthened its efforts to address solid waste amid challenges in establishing a conventional landfill with the inauguration of a P25-million waste management facility designed to turn discarded materials into reusable products.

The Guiuan Resources Ecocycling, Extraction, and Neutralization (GREEN) Facility, located at the municipality’s Eco-Waste Park, was formally inaugurated Tuesday, Sept. 15.
The facility was funded by the NAC Foundation Inc. (NACFI), the corporate social responsibility arm of Nickel Asia Corp., to support the municipality’s solid waste management and resource recovery programs.

It is designed to process biodegradable waste into compost and organic fertilizer, while recyclable and non-biodegradable materials will be converted into eco-bricks, pavers and other reusable products.

NAC President and CEO Martin Antonio Zamora and NACFI President Jose Bayani Baylon joined Guiuan Mayor Annaliz Gonzales-Kwan, Eastern Samar Vice Gov. Maria Caridad Goteesan and other local officials during the inauguration.

Gonzales-Kwan said the facility would complement existing municipal programs and increase Guiuan’s capacity to manage its growing waste problem.

“This facility will help us face the challenge and supplement the effort and strategy of the local government unit of Guiuan,” she said.

The mayor said the facility is particularly important because much of Guiuan’s underground geology is characterized by sinkhole-prone areas, according to the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

These geological conditions make establishing a conventional sanitary landfill difficult, while open dumping is prohibited under existing environmental laws.

The municipality has instead developed its Eco-Waste Park, which brings together several waste-management initiatives in one area.

Guiuan already operates a material recovery facility that processes waste into fertilizer and a plastic char factory that converts single-use plastics into school chairs.

Gonzales-Kwan said these initiatives, however, have limited capacity to address the waste generated by a growing municipality.

“This Integrated Solid Waste Management System is designed to address solid waste management at the larger scale,” she said.

The system is expected to increase Guiuan’s waste-processing capacity, maximize limited land resources and encourage residents and other stakeholders to become more responsible in handling waste.

Zamora said NAC Foundation hopes the new facility will allow Guiuan to transform waste into resources that can benefit the community.

“We hope that this new waste infrastructure will help Guiuan turn waste into useful resources, rich compost for farm soil, and sturdy eco-bricks that can help build local projects,” he said.

Zamora also said the foundation would help the municipal government address operational requirements, including improving the local power supply to enable the facility to operate at full capacity.

“Through this partnership, we hope to empower Guiuan to not only envision a resilient future but to take decisive actionable steps towards building a truly sustainable community,” he said.

The facility is expected to reduce the amount of waste requiring disposal while creating potential livelihood opportunities through the production of compost, organic fertilizer, eco-bricks and other recycled products.

The project also highlights the partnership between the local government and private sector in promoting resource recovery and more sustainable solid waste management in Guiuan.

(ROEL T. AMAZONA)