Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 5) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the creation of a special task force to ensure peace and order in Negros Island amid cases of violence in the area, including last month’s Pamplona massacre.
“There is a need to create a Special Task Force to prevent the spread and escalation of violence elsewhere in the Philippines, and to preserve peace and order in Negros Island, with due regard to the fundamental civil and political rights of the people,” Marcos said in Administrative Order (AO) No. 6 dated April 3 and uploaded a day later.
The President cited the March 4 killings in the town of Pamplona, where several armed men fatally shot Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo and eight civilians, and wounded 17 other people.
“Similar violent incidents have occurred in the past, and at present, threats to safety and security cut across different sectors and affect various stakeholders in Negros Island,” the AO read.
The new group, called the Special Task Force DEGAMO, will be led by the Interior Secretary, with the heads of the Justice department and the Defense departments as vice-chairpersons. The chiefs of the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the National Bureau of Investigation will act as task force commanders. The spokesperson will be the head of PNP’s Public Information Office.
The AO also states that task force members may designate an alternate to represent their respective offices in their absence and to decide for and on their behalf.
According to the directive, the group shall coordinate the efforts of concerned government agencies to ensure a “whole-of-government” approach in the prevention, investigation, prosecution and punishment of violence in Negros Island.
It is also tasked to intensify the campaign against private armed groups and loose firearms, as well as to perform similar actions as may be directed by the President.
