President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. praised on Friday the military for achieving success in

neutralizing communist groups in the Caraga and nearby regions this year.

Addressing troops from the Army’s 401st Infantry Division, the President said he has received good updates regarding the region’s security situation following a briefing of Joint Task Force Diamond and ground troops.

The Joint Task Force (JTF) is composed of the Army’s 401st, 402nd, 403rd, and 901st Infantry Brigades, covering most parts of Caraga and Northern Mindanao.

“Mukha naman maganda ang progress dito. In fact, there is a projection by the planning that siguro by the end of the year, hopefully the target is by the end of the year, masasabi natin na cleared na talaga ang inyong area. That is a good progress,” Marcos told the troops.

“And I have to congratulate everybody at alam ko naman ang buhay ng sundalo kung papaano. Kaya’t lalo na dito, yung terrain dito. The only way to do what you are doing is to kailangan talagang hahabulin ninyo ‘yung kalaban,” he said.

The President asked the troops to support the government’s new approach in tackling internal conflict by encouraging soldiers to became peacemakers while combating groups threatening peace and democracy.

Among the notable accomplishment of the JTF Diamond include the neutralization of 200 communist rebels/terrorists (144 surrendered, 44 killed, and 12 captured) and seized 311 firearms.

It also supported the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).

From 2021 to present, the units under the Army’s 4ID helped facilitated the surrender of 2,596 former rebels, of whom 2,167 or 83 percent were already awarded benefits under the E-CLIP, which grant financial assistance, livelihood training and grants, firearm remuneration, and housing and education assistance.

There is a reported downtrend in the presence of insurgents in the JTF Diamond’s area of operation, from 437 rebels in the first quarter of 2023, decreasing by 28.6 percent to 312 as of February 15, 2024.

With the military’s relentless campaign, two regional insurgent committees, with a total of 312 members and 306 firearms, have retreated to the mountains and no longer influence nearby barangays. Presidential News Desk