Government agencies and state security forces’ efforts are paying off in finally ending the 50-year-old communist insurgency in the country, Philippine National Police Chief General Guillermo Eleazar said Saturday.
“The PNP agrees with President Rodrigo Duterte’s assessment that we are winning the war, and his acknowledgement of the contributions of all state agencies and LGUs in this endeavor,” Eleazar said in a statement.
He cited the President’s remark at a meeting of the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) that the communist insurgency is “no longer relevant to the lives of the Filipinos” and that the government is winning the war.
However, Eleazar pointed out that the PNP should not lower its guard despite the impending defeat of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF).
“We are not underestimating the capability of the remaining few especially in the coming election period when they could extort money to finance their atrocities, and erode the democratic process come May 2022,” said the top cop.
Also, Eleazar pointed out that the senseless killings by the communist rebels of innocent civilians, including those of Far Eastern University football player Kieth Absalon and his cousin Nolven, and other atrocities in communities show that the CPP-NPA-NDF has been reduced to a criminal organization.
He assured the public the PNP's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) is continuing its case build-up against the communist organization for violation of the International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
Eleazar added the PNP has included in the communist rebels’ violation of the IHL the use of anti-personnel mines, recruitment of child warriors, and atrocities against innocent civilians.