President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has ordered the creation of a special task force to maintain peace and order and suppress threats to safety and security in Negros Island.
Under his signed Administrative Order No. 6, a task force would be formed to prevent the spread and escalation of violence throughout the Philippines, as well as to preserve peace and order on Negros Island, while respecting the people's fundamental civil and political rights.
Special Task Force "DEGAMO" will be created, chaired by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and co-chaired by the chiefs of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of National Defense (DND).
The task force commanders will include the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and the director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
In AO No. 6, the formed task force is mandated to implement measures to prevent further violence and ensure peace and order in Negros Island with the following powers and functions:
- Coordinate and rationalize the efforts of concerned government agencies and instrumentalities to ensure a whole-of-government approach in the prevention, investigation, prosecution, and punishment of violence on the island
- Intensify campaign against private armed groups and loose firearms
- Prepare and submit to the President, through the Office fo the Executive Secretary (OES), reports on the state of peace and order on the island, as well as the Task Force's initiatives and recommendations
- Perform such other functions as may be directed by the President
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is ordered to extend emergency relief assistance to the families of the victims, while the Department of Health (DOH) is mandated to provide psychological rehabilitation to the affected individuals.
