Ongoing military activities are meant to dismantle all operations of remaining New People’s Army (NPA) units within the year in compliance with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to intensify efforts to dismantle guerilla fronts, the National Security Council (NSC) said.
National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is working overtime to dismantle the 11 “weakened” NPA guerilla fronts until the end of the year.
He said the anti-communist roadmap of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) will be carried out until the very end of the Marcos administration, stressing the role of the AFP even during the transition from internal to external or territorial defense in the face of tensions in the West Philippine Sea.
“So even though our Armed Forces are transitioning here, Particularly, our goal is to dismantle the 11 weakened guerilla fronts up to the end of the year and this will also include dismantling 26 vertical units and party organs within the 27 sub -regional committees. and 40 regional party committees,” Año said.
Assistant Director-General Jonathan Malaya, NSC Spokesperson, said that the Armed Forces has taken the initiative and “bring the battle” to the last remaining guerrilla fronts.
“Every day, you will hear in the news of AFP-initiated operations against NPA units. They are on the and strategically defeated and our objective is to take the battle to their hide-outs so that we can finally, finish them off as directed by the President,” Malaya said
He said that military operations are now ongoing in Abra, Northern Samar, the Bicol region, and other areas with more in the planning stages.
“These operations are initiated by the military to totally wipe them out and we will see more of these in the coming months, rain or shine,” he said.
Malaya said that the targets set by the AFP to their field units have resulted in increased number of armed encounters between the security forces and the insurgents, as well as with terrorist organizations across the country.
“Key to the success of our operations are the information provided by the public. The intelligence value of these tips cannot be
underestimated. Many thanks to our countrymen in the countryside,” he added.
With the military winning the battle against the New People’s Army,
Malaya urged all the remaining members of the NPA to take advantage of the Amnesty Program of the Marcos Administration.
“Come down from the mountains, surrender, avail of the amnesty program so you can be with your families,” he said
In the last week, a member of the New People’s Army (NPA) was killed and another one was wounded during a clash, Wednesday, in upland Osmeña village in Las Navas, Northern Samar.
Acting on tips from a civilian about the presence of armed men, the
soldiers found the location of the NPA members, ensuing a 20-minute firefight.
The rebels retreated, leaving behind one stain and one wounded member, along with two M16 rifles and personal belongings.
The Army identified the slain rebel as Adel Cabides, allas Hipolito,
and the wounded NPA fighter as Jessie Robinacio, alias Tadok, who
received first aid treatment from the Army.
Philippine Army soldiers encountered around 15 members of the Kilusang Larangang Gerilya-North Abra of the Ilocos Cordillera Regional Committee of the New People’s Army which resulted in firefight.
The group was first monitored lurking in the tri-boundaries of
Abra-Kalinga-Apayao.
In the Bicol Region, the commanding officer of the Regional
Operational Command, Bicol Regional Party Committee (BRPC), and a member of the Executive Committee National Operational Command of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) was arrested.
He had several standing warrants of arrest for murder and direct
assault with frustrated murder.
The Philippine National Police identified him as Reynaldo Togado Hugo, 61. For his part, AFP Chief of Staff, General Romeo Brawner Jr. said the military has set deadlines for its ground units to dismantle the remaining weakened NPA guerilla fronts, vertical units, regional party committees, and sub-regional committees.
“Almost everyday we have armed encounters not just between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the members of the New People’s Army but also with the local terrorist groups. So, we launched an expansive and intensive military operations against all of these threat groups,” he added.
“And once the AFP ends the communist insurgency, it can consolidate all its forces to solely external defense,” he added.