Troops of the Philippine Army’s 14th Civil-Military Operations Battalion (CMOB) have set up a community radio station in Barangay Linaon, Cauayan town in Negros Occidental as part of the efforts to promote the government’s anti-insurgency programs.

Lt. Col. Arturo Dumalagan, commanding officer of the 14CMOB, said on Wednesday that they intend to provide information to the community using the broadcast medium through the project “Radyo kag Boses sang Kalinong” (Radio and Voice of Peace), since internet connection and mobile communication signals are limited in the area.

“We hope that the public will be more aware and will appreciate the concern of the government in addressing the primary issues they are facing to improve their lives,” he said of the broadcast which started in February this year.

The 14CMOB installed a portable FM transmitter purchased from an online store to set up the Voice of Peace 100.1 FM Radio that will support the unit’s Community Support Program (CSP) operations.

“This is just for short-range broadcast,” Dumalagan told the Philippine News Agency, adding that they go on air for two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon.

During the broadcast, the station plays music and presents recorded newscasts along with infomercials.

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the “Tingog sang Kalinong” program hosted by DJ Irene, who is also a soldier, goes on air and is also streamed live on Facebook from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., and the residents can tune in to learn about the government’s various programs.

There are discussions about the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP), and related projects implemented by the local government units.

To encourage more listeners, the CSP Team lead by Staff Sgt. Winston Hiponia of 14CMOB’s Special Enabler Company distributed transistor radio sets with batteries to selected households made possible through donations from the unit’s benefactors on June 7, 2021.

Earlier, the 14CMOB also deployed the mobile audio-visual system or MAVS in Barangay Linaon, showing videos of testimonies of former rebels to raise awareness on the recruitment efforts of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) among the youth.

The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA)