BANGUED, Abra – Director Benjamin B. Magalong of the Directorate for Investigation of the Philippine National Police (PNP) cited the active involvement of the youth sector in the province in the achievement of lasting peace because they were able to prove their crucial role in the realization of peace in the province.
Magalong, together with Maj. Gen. Angelito de Leon of the Philippine Army’s 7th Infantry Division, PRO-COR regional director Chief Superintendent Ulysses G. Abellera and provincial election supervisor May Rachel Belmes Beronilla, witnessed the signing of the peace covenant among political leaders, tribal leaders, religious, youth leaders and other stakeholders in order to renew their commitment for efforts in the attainment of lasting peace provincewide.
The PNP official admitted that during the preparations for the May 2013 mid-term elections, the youth was not a major factor in the realization of the most peaceful conduct of the elections because they had difficulty in engaging them to actively participate in peacekeeping initiatives, thus, their active role in the recent signing of the peace covenant was one of the major breakthrough in Abra becoming one of the most peaceful provinces in the country in the future.
“We will not allow anyone to ruin the gains of our peace initiatives because we will use the full force against those who will try to continue compromising the lasting peace that we have initially achieved in the province,” Magalong stressed.
He pointed out that Abrenians must be proud that the peacekeeping interventions that they were able to put in place in the May 2013 mid-term elections is now being used as a template in the implementation of the appropriate peacekeeping initiatives in other conflict-stricken areas for the benefit of the present and future generations.
According to him, the police and military will now allow Abra to go back to its dark days but instead will continue engaging all sectors in order to elevate peacekeeping interventions and strategies to greater heights so that Abra will become one of the most developed localities in the country in the future.
For his part, de Leon challenged Abrenians to continue sustaining the successful implementation of peacekeeping interventions with the active participation of tribal leaders so that people will be able to see the commitment of the police and military in helping drastically change the image of the province from a conflict-stricken province to become one of the most peaceful provinces in the country in the future.
On the other hand, Abellera added the peace could be achieved if it would be individual and collectively done and it is the hope of the present and future generations that tribal leaders and politicians will adhere to their commitments for the benefit of reversing the image of the province and become one of the fastest developing provinces in the country in the coming years.
Beronilla claimed she was about to loose hope in the achievement of peace in the province after the murder of his uncle Friday night but she asserted that her principle of sustaining the conduct of peaceful and orderly elections will not be sold to any of the candidates aspiring for various elective positions in the May 2016 synchronized and automated national and local elections, saying that the death threats had harassments that she is receiving will not force her to give up her principle.
By Dexter A. See
