| Cagas want to talk with rebels |
| Written by Eldie S. Aguirre | ||||||
| Monday, 07 July 2008 | ||||||
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While the military and the police are gearing up to deter rebel attacks in different parts of the region, the newly appointed Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) chairman in Southern Mindanao wanted to solve the conflict through a dialogue.
Davao del Sur Governor Douglas Cagas, the new RPOC-11 chief said the solution to this decades’ old problem could not be achieved through constant exchange of bullets and loss of lives – but through a dialogue between the warring groups.
Cagas said he needed the assistance of non-government organizations in his quest to end the problem. “I need the representation of militant organizations in this plan. But they have to be serious in participating my peace effort and avoid gathering sensitive information from the RPOC,” the governor said.
The peace and order czar in Southern Mindanao announced he would back up the revival of the government’s “Balik-Baril” program to encourage members of the CPP-NPA and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to give up their firearms and peacefully return to the fold of the government.
“In this scheme, we could solve the Mindanao conflict without the need for bloodshed,” Cagas said.
Cagas who replaced Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte from the RPOC post said he will hasten the establishment of the RPOC office in Davao City before enforcing his ideas that would lead to the solution of the government and rebel conflict in the region.
The RPOC chief organized the Nakasaka (Nagkahiusang Katawhan Alang Sa Kalinaw) when he was appointed as OIC-governor during the Aquino Era.
Nakasaka was proven to be an effective tool to suppress the abuses and attacks of NPA rebels in different villages in Davao del Sur since it was designed to perk up the vigilance of every citizen in the community by participating on a 24-hour foot patrol operations in their respective areas of responsibility.
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