Caraga achieves internal peace, security status after over 5-decade insurgency
By Renelle L. Escuadro
BUTUAN CITY (PIA) — The Caraga region was declared a state of Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS) on June 18 in Butuan City, ending the more than five decades of insurgency.
This historic milestone ended the Caraga’s status as a strategic haven and tactical refuge of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), as it is blessed with dense, mountainous hinterlands and resource-rich ancestral domains.
Before the declaration, the Caraga Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) unanimously approved the resolution declaring SIPS in the region, through a special meeting held on the same day, presided over by Police Brigadier General Marcial Mariano P. Magistrado, regional director of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Caraga and vice chairperson of Caraga RPOC.
Major General Marion T. Angcao, division commander of the 4th Infantry Division, Philippine Army, presented the rationale of the resolution, especially the dismantling of the NPA’s Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC), including the surrender and neutralization of its top regional leaders.
“With the full dismantling of the NEMRC, the organization no longer possesses the capability to sustain its structure, leadership, and operational activities,” Angcao said.
SIPS vs insurgency-free
According to Caraga RPOC, through the DILG Caraga as head secretariat, “A region declared under SIPS is recognized as having achieved a sustained level of peace where insurgency, armed conflict and other major security threats have been effectively reduced to a manageable level, making the cities, municipalities and provinces in the region safe for development, investment and to have an efficient delivery of government services.”
The members also emphasized that SIPS status does not mean that threats no longer exist – it affirms that security conditions are stable and that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), PNP, and other agencies continue with their efforts to maintain peace and prevent any resurgence of violence.
They further explained that the SIPS status is connected with ‘insurgency-free,’ but they describe different levels of security assessment. “An area can be declared SIPS even if minor or residual threats exist, as long as they are controlled and no longer destabilizing the community.”
“An insurgency-free declaration usually comes after or beyond SIPS, when threats are completely cleared. In practice, SIPS is often seen as a step toward insurgency-free status, but not automatically equal to it,” the members said.
In Caraga, the province of Dinagat Islands was the first to be declared under SIPS on December 12, 2014, followed by Surigao del Norte on March 15, 2024; Agusan del Norte’s proclamation took place on June 5, 2026, while the provinces of Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur were declared under SIPS on June 15, 2026. The highly urbanized city of Butuan was subsequently declared under SIPS on June 16, 2026.
A tandem: peace and development
Dinagat Islands Governor Nilo P. Demerey Jr., Caraga Regional Development Council (RDC) chairperson, underscored the inseparable connection and mutual dependence between peace and development.
He said, the collective efforts in the pursuit of lasting peace and security of the national government agencies, local government units, security sector, civil society organizations, and the communities brought Caraga as the country’s 2nd fastest growing regional growth on Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) in 2024 and 2025.
Also, as chairperson of the Dinagat Islands Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC), he is optimistic that the region’s SIPS status will be sustained, flaunting the province’s over-a-decade SIPS status from December 12, 2014.
“Dinagat Islands is the first in the region and 2nd in the country to receive the SIPS declaration,” Gov. Demerey added.
Meanwhile, as affirmation to the peace and development agenda of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the ceremonial declaration and pronouncement of a state of Stable Internal Peace and Security in Caraga region was attended by dignitaries, including Undersecretary Angelito De Leon of the Department of National Defense (DND); Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr., executive director of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC); and Senior Undersecretary Jonathan Ferdinand Miano of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU). (RLE, PIA Dinagat Islands)
