TACLOBAN CITY, May 7 -- The town of Bontoc in Southern Leyte has been declared free from threats of the New People's Army (NPA) with no sightings and no activity of armed rebels in the area for a year.

Through a resolution of the municipal peace and order council and the Sangguniang Bayan, the town was declared on May 6 as Stable Internal Peace and Security Conditions, said Brig. Gen. Noel Vestuir, commander of the Army's 802nd Brigade.

"The declaration manifests the real peace enjoyed by the populace of Bontoc as a result of collaborative efforts of the local government units, government agencies, law enforcement agencies, various sectors, and the populace in maintaining peaceful and orderly communities," Vestuir said in a statement on...