Col. Oscar Lactao, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said the month-long Peace Consciousness celebration in Negros Occidental was a “big success”, as about 200,000 Negrenses were touched by their peace advocacy campaign and related activities.

September was declared as Peace Consciousness Month, and daily activities were jointly spearheaded by the provincial government of Negros Occidental and the Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade.

Lactao said Negros Occidental has gone a long long way in terms of peace and order improvement, and also noted a marked improvement in the relationship and coordination between the civil authorities, military and police, as well as civil society.

He, however, said there is still a lot to be done in addressing the poverty problem.

The celebration was capped with a five-day Peace Torch Relay, participated in by thousands of peace advocates. The marathon relay covered more than 400 kilometers, which Lactao said, is a marked improvement.

To further boost the peace advocacy awareness campaign, the provincial government of Negros Occidental also signed a memorandum of cooperation with a church organization and the academe, to strengthen the snowballing culture of peace and sustainable development based on the assessment of military and peace advocates.

Lactao, who had also affixed his signature to the MOC, said it aims to maximize the human and material resources for the promotion of peace.*GPB

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