The photo shows Governor Mendoza and Major General Cagara presenting a memento from the 6th Infantry Division as a courtesy gesture during the governorโs participation in the divisionโs Araw ng Kagitingan commemoration on Thursday. (John Unson)
COTABATO CITY, Philippines (April 12, 2026) โ The provincial government of Cotabato, led by Governor Emmylou Taliรฑo Mendoza, will continue its partnership with the 6th Infantry Division and its component unit, the 602nd Infantry Brigade, to advance programs aimed at sustaining peace in the province and in eight Bangsamoro municipalities under the Special Geographic Area (SGA).
The 602nd Infantry Brigade, headed by Brigadier General Ricky Bunayog, oversees a large portion of Cotabato province covering 17 towns. Kidapawan City serves as the provincial capital, with some areas also under units of the 10th Infantry Division.
Mendoza was a guest during the Araw ng Kagitingan commemoration at Camp Siongco in Datu Odin Sinsuat on April 9, where 6th Infantry Division commander Major General Jose Vladimir Cagara recognized her administrationโs peace and security initiatives.
As chairperson of the Cotabato Provincial Peace and Order Council, Mendoza has been an active supporter of the national governmentโs peace process with Moro communities. This includes backing the implementation of separate peace agreements with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front 9MILF). Both groups maintain strongholds in Cotabato, which the government have designated as โpeace zones.โ
During the event, Mendoza and Cagara exchanged assurances of stronger and sustained cooperation between the military and the provincial government to maintain peace and spur development. Cotabato is an emerging safe investment destination in Region 12.
โWe in the 6th Infantry Division are grateful to the Cotabato provincial government for its unwavering support for our peace and community service initiatives,โ Cagara said.
Mendoza also chairs the Regional Development Council in Region 12, which covers the provinces of Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato, and Sarangani, as well as the cities of Kidapawan, Tacurong, Koronadal, and General Santos.
Brigadier General Bunayog said the 602nd Infantry Brigade and the provincial government are working closely to encourage remaining members of dismantled groups such as the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and Dawlah Islamiya to surrender and return to peaceful civilian life with their families.
Officials of the 6th Infantry Division said that of more than 2,000 members of the BIFF and Dawlah Islamiya who surrendered to military and police units in Central Mindanao, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and Region 12 over the past five years, at least 629 came from remote barangays in Cotabato. These individuals have been reintegrated into mainstream communities through joint efforts of the 602nd Infantry Brigade and the provincial government.
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