DUMAGUETE CITY, April 30 -- Government troops deployed to Negros Oriental will not be pulled out despite the province being declared already under a state of Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS), a military official said Tuesday.

Brig. Gen. Joey Escanillas, commander of the Army's 302nd Brigade based in Tanjay City, said the transition from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to the Philippine National Police (PNP) as the lead agency in counter-insurgency operations would be gradual.

"This is not going to be a paradigm shift, but little by little, we will transition our role to supporting the PNP under the SIPS," Escanillas said during a Kapihan sa PIA forum here.

He said the transition, stipulated in the memorandum of agree...