Panacan, Davao City
October 27, 2022

“We must be all proud and happy knowing that the Davao Region has been declared as insurgency-free by the Davao Regional Peace and Order Council,” expressed President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. when he attended a program declaring Davao Region — which is Mindanao’s largest economy — as insurgency-free and relaunching it as tourism and investment-ready destination during the last leg of his visit in Davao City.

Earlier this month, members of the Regional Peace and Order Council – Davao (RPOC-11) officially declared the Region as ‘insurgency-free’ when remnants of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) in the area have been dismantled through a series of successful peace and order initiatives. Following Regions I and IX, the Davao Region is the third region in the country declared as insurgency-free.

“It is one noteworthy achievement not only for Davaoeños, but for every Filipino as well. It is a victory which proves there is no place for extremism and senseless violence anywhere in the Philippines,” the Commander-in-Chief added in his speech, noting that the declaration serves as a timely platform in further boosting Davao’s post-pandemic economic growth and leverage the Region’s abundant resources and opportunities.

Over the past two (2) years, Davao Region suffered economic setbacks at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 61 percent decline in registered investments and as much as 75 percent decrease in tourist arrivals.

With the eradication of insurgency in Davao, the event is an opportune time to reopen the Region as a tourism and investment-ready destination. President Marcos Jr. called on the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), government agencies, local government units (LGUs) and communities to continue working together in order to seize the gains in the Region and ensure that this momentum will be carried on towards the future.

“Peace and progress always go hand-in-hand. One cannot do without the other as both elements are essential to create an environment that is able to thrive and reach its full potential amidst our rapidly changing world,” the President stated.

“It is my hope that all the things you have achieved here in Davao can also be replicated across the country. This way, we can reproduce our shared success
a hundred-fold, allowing our fellow countrymen to reap the benefits of safety and prosperity for present and future generations to come,” the Chief Executive ended in his message.

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