by MDNN Zamboanga Sibugay News Bureau
PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS
ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY – A 30-member peace-keeping force was deployed in Barangay Datu Tumanggong, Tungawan, this province, reports from the military said.
The Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) said Thursday that this force known as Joint Peace and Security Team is composed of 30 members, including eight policemen, 7 army troops, and 15 members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. (MILF)
The JPST, it was learned, is a peace-keeping force being deployed in places identified by the government and the MILF. It is also considered one of the transitional mechanisms created under CAB, or otherwise known as the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.
Westmincom has confirmed that the JPST was already activated last Tuesday, October 12, and they are now deployed in Datu Tumanggong, Tungawan town.
102nd Infantry Brigade deputy commander Col. Antonio John Divinagracia said the deployment of JPST in said town would mean a positive move to ensure peace and harmony in the identified municipality.
“This is a great stride towards the attainment of our coveted peace not only in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) but the entire Mindanao region. This is also the time that the government is in dire need of the cooperation, coordination, and collaboration of the communities for the achievement of this goal. Rest assured that the men and women of the 102nd Infantry Brigade will always be your partner towards peace and progress in the region,” the Army official said.
Barangay Datu Tumanggong in Tungawan is noted as the home of the 113th base of the MILF command.
The so-called donning of blue berets and brassards of the members of the JPST-Tungawan usually signaled the activation of a peace-keeping force.
According to the CAB, which was signed into law between the MILF and the government, the JPSTs have been tasked to implement and support the peace and order of the locality, where their presence is felt.
Officials of the BARMM region, police force, and the military, Office of Presidential Peace Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, municipality of Tungawan, and the provincial government of Zamboanga Sibuga, witnessed the simple ceremony during the activation process and the official deployment of the 30-member peace-keeping force. – PNA
