MANILA -- Senior Undersecretary Ireneo Espino of the Department of National Defense said insurgency in the Philippines will be finished before the year ends.

“The country will be insurgency free before the year ends, so that means business can be opened anywhere in the country, business can prosper,” he said.

Espino made the pronouncement during the General Membership Meeting of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), a group of business executives in the country with more than a thousand members.

According to Espino, the only remaining insurgent group the government is focusing on is in Samar.

“As far as the insurgency fronts are concerned, there is only one remaining front being addressed by the Armed Forces and it will be addressed this quarter, the insurgency front in Samar. So basically all the insurgency fronts are already declared cleared, zero insurgent,” he adds.

Espino said many insurgents have already returned to the fold of the law, and some are just waiting for the proclamation of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to clear their criminal cases.

“Those involved in these cases will be freed from liabilities,” Espino said.

Espino also said these insurgents who have surrendered were given livelihood support and some programs from the government.

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