Manila, Oct. 9 -- Catbalogan City, capital of Samar province, was declared under a Stable Internal Peace and Security Condition (SIPSC) during a ceremony on Oct. 7.

The city is the 19th out of Samar province's 26 towns and cities to earn the insurgency-free declaration, according to the Philippine Army.

In a statement on Thursday, Philippine Army 3rd Infantry Battalion commander Lt. Col. Marx Luther Rosario said a stable internal peace and security condition means an area is relatively peaceful, free from insurgency activity, and requires security operations primarily for law enforcement.

Rosario said Catbalogan's declaration marks the transition of security responsibility from addressing the insurgency threat to primarily law enforcem...