EVACUATION. A Black Hawk helicopter was sent to Mapanas, Northern Samar to evacuate seven soldiers injured by anti-personnel mine explosion planted by the New People's Army (NPA) on July 5, 2022. The Philippine Army on Wednesday (July 6) urged the Commission on Human Rights to investigate the use of banned explosives by the NPA.(Photo courtesy of Philippine Army) TACLOBAN CITY - The Philippine Army has urged the Commission on Human Rights to investigate the use of anti-personnel mines by the New People's Army (NPA) in Northern Samar that injured seven soldiers. In a statement released on Wednesday, Col. Perfecto Penaredondo, commander of the Army's 803rd Infantry Brigade, condemned the communist terrorist group for its blatant violation of the use of banned explosives. "I urged the community and the local governments to condemn this dastardly act of the NPA terrorists and I also called the attention of the Commission of Human Rights to investigate these continuous viol
NPA-INFLUENCED. The center of Magsaysay village in Mapanas, Northern Samar in this June 21, 2022 photo. At least seven soldiers were injured when members of the New People's Army detonated anti-personnel mines in the village on Tuesday (July 5, 2022).(Photo courtesy of Mary Rebato) TACLOBAN CITY - At least seven soldiers were injured when members of the New People's Army (NPA) detonated anti-personnel mines in the upland village of Magsaysay in Mapanas, Northern Samar on Tuesday morning. Soldiers with the community support program (CSP) team were patrolling the area when rebels detonated the mines around 6:15 a.m., said Lt. Col. Joemar Buban, commander of the Philippine Army's 20th Infantry Battalion. CSP is a flagship program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines used to clear communities of NPA infestation while neutralizing the politics-military structure the rebels established in the villages. "Of the seven wounded, two of them are in critical condition. All the b
INTERVENTION. The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) on Wednesday (June 29, 2022) said some 305 national IDs and 1,064 birth certificates belonging to decommissioned Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members and their families were processed through the civil registration assistance project spearheaded by Joint Task Force on Camps Transformation and the Philippine Statistics Authority. The process is part of their full integration into mainstream society. (Photo courtesy of OPAPRU) MANILA - The government has assisted decommissioned Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants and their families to register for the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) and acquire birth certificates as part of their full integration into mainstream society. The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) on Wednesday reported that some 305 Philippine identification (PhilID) cards or the national ID and 1,0
NEW BRIDGE. The 240-meter Jipapad Bridge in Eastern Samar. The bridge connected the remote town of Jipapad to the national highway and more opportunities.(Photo courtesy of Department of Public Works and Highways) TACLOBAN CITY - The town of Jipapad, Eastern Samar is now connected to the national highway through a newly-completed bridge funded by the central government. The PHP250-million bridge which started in 2017 and was fully completed this month is a joint project of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). The 240-meter concrete bridge replaces the wooden bridge formerly used by town residents to cross a major river and low-lying area to get to the existing national road from the town center. OPAPP Eastern Visayas program manager Imelda Bonifacio said in a phone interview on Tuesday that PHP150 million fund for the project was provided by OPAPP through its Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (Pamana) p