BALANGA CITY, Bataan – Two Central Luzon provincial governors have advocated stakeholders to institute healthy business environment and intellectual discussions of resolving issues concerning labor–management row to ensure the rights and welfare of workers and investors are justly protected in the Special Economic Zones located in Bataan and Pampanga.
Bataan Governor Albert Raymond S. Garcia, regional peace and order council chairman and Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda have strongly endorsed the implementation of national government program which would help win back the hearts of militant labor sector and protect the investors and companies in Central Luzon in their continued development and expansion to generate employment and enhance the quality of life of the residents.
Governor Garcia has suggested during the Regional Peace and Order Council 1st quarter meeting held at Lou-Is Restaurant this City on Thursday that the Council should provide an integrated approach plan to thwart any effort of radical groups to penetrate the ranks of legitimate labor organizations in the export processing zones in Central Luzon.
There is a move to bring former rebels and ideologues from Cavite and Laguna to undertake information campaign against the evil of Communism, one Council member said.
In a related development, Governor Garcia is optimistic that Central Luzon would become the first region in the Philippines to be insurgency-free this year.
Bataan and Pampanga are the only two provinces out of the six provinces in Central Luzon which were declared insurgency-free provinces last year.
“I urge members of the Council to collaborate with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police (PNP) to continue supporting their campaigns,” Garcia said during the 1st Quarter RPOC meeting.
He added that maintaining the peace and order in Central Luzon will lead to success of economic zones and upsurge of business investments, both from local and foreign capitalists.
In that meeting, PNP Regional Operations Division Chief PSSupt. Jesus Rebua disclosed a significant drop in criminality in all seven provinces of Central Luzon in the first two months of 2018 compared to the same period in 2017.
Rebua also stressed the accomplishments of the Provincial Police Offices (PPOs) in their campaign against illegal drugs.