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)
