As the nationwide quarantines and lockdowns continue the AFP and PNP are at the frontline manning checkpoints and assisting in keeping everything orderly. At the same time they are prepared to go head to head with the insurgents who continue to wreck havoc. Indeed the AFP leadership says the NPA is a more deadly virus than COVID-19.
"As we endeavor to assist the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) in the containment of the Covid-19, we will continue to secure our communities from this vicious and more dangerous CPP-NPA virus," he said in a statement Saturday, referring to the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, New People’s Army.
Parlade, who is also a member of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC), said he considers the CPP-NPA and its ideology deadlier than Covid-19 because it has killed thousands of Filipinos in the past 51 years.
"The latter (CPP-NPA) has killed a vast throng of our people, some (of them) JMS (CPP founding chair Jose Maria 'Joma' Sison) even call his revolutionary forces that include students, young children, and the marginalized sector," he added.
He made the statement as communist rebels struggle to find a replacement for National Military Commission head Julius Giron and overall CPP-NPA chairperson who was killed along with two others in an operation in Baguio City on March 13.
"As we are about to expose CPP chair Julius Giron, whose party wife Annie Tauli is Execom (Executive Committee) member of Ilocos Regional Party Committee and sister of former CPA turned UN Special Rapporteur Victoria Tauli Corpus, think Sison, how this is going to impact your credibility to the international community," Parlade said.
He added that If people can connect the dots, SIsion should start explaining how the CPP-NPA-NDF International Solidarity Works defrauded the UN (United Nations), EU (European Union) and several international organizations especially during times of crisis.
“All these connections with JMS, Giron, Tauli, will solidify the NTF ELCAC's position that all those sham HR (Human Rights) investigation of UNCHR (United Nations Commission on Human Rights) and of KARAPATAN, and NUPL (National Union of Peoples Lawyers) were all part of JMS and Giron's Oplan Talsik, in tandem with Oust Duterte of the Movement Against Tyranny that we exposed in October 2018," he added.
It will
be interesting to see who the AFP pulls all those threads together prove all those ours were part of the Oust Duterte of the Movement Against Tyranny of 2018. In the meantime it is a war on two fronts for the AFP.
As soldiers battle an unseen enemy in the fight against the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), their comrades in Mindanao grapple with the virulence of terrorism.
“We are presently battling against two different enemies,” said Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Western Mindanao Command.
The command has collaborated with local governments and health workers “to protect the people from COVID-19” and sent out soldiers in full battle gear to man street checkpoints and screen travelers for symptoms of infection in order to stop the spread of the disease.
Troops also enforce curfews and ensure that people stay home in the communities.
Sobejana said the military was also pursuing its offensives against terrorists who could “take advantage of the current situation to create havoc in our area of operation.” Dedicated troops
Even then, he gave assurance that the fight against COVID-19 had not been relegated to second priority to the battle against terrorists. “We have dedicated troops for both endeavors,” Sobejana said.
He described the Abu Sayyaf as “another form of virus [as] they brutally kill innocent people.”
A faction of the group is currently holding five Indonesian fishermen whom it kidnapped off Lahad Datu in Sabah in January. The bandits brought the captives to Sulu and demanded P30 million as ransom.
While Abu Sayyaf continues to hold five Indonesian fisherman this week the AFP rescued a doctor who had been held hostage since February 4th.
Joint police and military forces rescued on Tuesday night the physician abducted by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits in the province of Sulu.
The Sulu Provincial Police Office said the physician, Dr. Daniel Moreno, was rescued following a firefight around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Barangay Bangalan, Indanan, Sulu.
Police said the firefight ensued as the troops chanced upon the group of ASG sub-leader Mundi Sawadjaan while conducting joint operations in connection with Operations Plan (Oplan) Lockdown amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) threat.
The firefight lasted about five minutes before the ASG bandits were forced to release Moreno, giving the troops the opportunity to rescue the hostage.
More
fighting happened this week as the AFP were forced to fight
off an NPA attack.
The Army’s 44th Infantry Battalion disrupted the New People’s Army (NPA) attack in Barangay Penaranda, Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay, Saturday afternoon.
“The troops were tasked to conduct community visitation and information dissemination to the local populace on the current COVID-19 crisis when armed CNTs fired towards them,” said Lt. Col. Don Templonuevo, commanding officer of the 44th Infantry Battalion.
The12-minute firefight incurred no casualties on the government side.
The soldiers recovered an improvised explosive device, subversive documents; and backpacks with personal belongings, assorted food, and medical supplies.
This comes after Duterte declared a ceasefire with the NPA which they rejected. However that was before UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for a global ceasefire in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The fury of the virus illustrates the folly of war”, he said. “That is why today, I am calling for an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world. It is time to put armed conflict on lockdown and focus together on the true fight of our lives.”
The UN chief called on warring parties to pull back from hostilities, put aside mistrust and animosity, and “silence the guns; stop the artillery; end the airstrikes”.
This is crucial, he said, “to help create corridors for life-saving aid. To open precious windows for diplomacy. To bring hope to places among the most vulnerable to COVID-19.”
After shunning Duterte's offer of a truce and ceasefire saying the it was not sincere Joma Sison heeded the call of the UN Chief and announced that the NPA would observe a ceasefire.
According to CPP’s statement on Tuesday found in the website of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), they are heeding the latter’s recommendation of a ceasefire, in accordance with the United Nations (UN) request for warring parties all over the world to stop fighting temporarily.
“Upon the recommendation of the Negotiating Panel of the (NDFP), by way of direct response to the call of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for a global ceasefire between warring parties for the common purpose of fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) hereby orders all commands and units of the New People’s Army (NPA) and the people’s militias to observe a nationwide ceasefire that will take effect from 00:00H of 26 March 2020 to 23:59H of 15 April 2020,” CPP said.
“During the ceasefire period, all NPA units and people’s militias shall cease and desist from carrying out offensive military operations against the armed units and personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other paramilitary and armed groups attached to the GRP,” it added.
This ceasefire was announced on Tuesday March 24th. On that same morning the NPA attack an IP community in Davao del Norte.
New People’s Army (NPA) fighters attacked an Indigenous Peoples (IP) community in Kapalong town in Davao del Norte Tuesday morning, a military official said Wednesday.
1Lt. Amadeuz Celestial, civil-military operations chief of the Army's 60th Infantry Battalion, said they managed to fend off the attack by firing mortar and artillery rounds on the rebel position.
Celestial said the Army was able to anticipate the attack after receiving civilian tipoffs on the NPA's planned “tactical offensive” against the troops conducting community support programs in the area.
Capt. Jerry Lamosao, chief of the Army's 10th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office, said no one was hurt in the 10-minute encounter that ensued after government troops responded to civilian reports that an undetermined number of rebels attacked a Manobo settlement in Sitio Tapayanon, Barangay Gupitan.
No word on why the NPA launched the attack but the AFP was able to fight them off. The next day the NPA killed a tribal leader in Surigao del Sur. Why?
NPA rebels killed Manobo tribal chieftain Bernandino Astudillo, 73, and a civilian identified as Zaldy Ibanez, 52, on March 19 in Sitio Inadan, Barangay Magroyong, San Miguel, Surigao del Sur.
Earlier this week, the NPA's Guerrilla Front 30 (GF-30) spokesperson Imelda Rambuyod -- alias “Sandara Sidlakan” -- admitted the group's killing of Astudillo and Ibanez.
Rambuyod accused Astudillo and Ibanez of being responsible for the rape of a certain Palay Astudillo.
Licudine lambasted the rebels for "fabricating stories" to justify the killings.
A day after the admission the NPA's admission to the killing, Palay Astudillo, the granddaughter of Datu Bernandino Astudillo, came out in a video denying the accusation.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1098111
Despite these brazen attacks the AFP hopes the NPA will be sincere about the ceasefire.
"Sana lang talagang maging sincere na sila (we hope that they will be sincere) not only for the period of Covid-19 but forever," AFP acting spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Ernesto Torres told a media interview.
"Let this be a time for them to really reflect, to truly establish lasting peace and eventually sustainable development," Torres said.
He, however, said the AFP has reservations that the ceasefire will lessen fears of attacks while government troops are helping in containing the effects of Covid-19.
This is because the CPP-NPA has a known history of attacking civilian and military targets even if they had declared a truce, Torres added.
It should be no surprise that the NPA broke their ceasefire two days after it began.
An Army soldier and an alleged fighter of the New People’s Army (NPA) were killed in a clash in Rodriguez town in Rizal province on Saturday, the military reported.
Captain Jayrald Ternio, head of the public affairs office of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division, said an estimated 30 NPA rebels attacked a group of 18 soldiers in Barangay (village) Puray at around 3 p.m.
Two soldiers were also wounded in the battle but are now in stable condition, Ternio said in a press statement.
Report said villagers informed the soldiers who were stationed in the village about the presence of the rebels in the area and their alleged plan to conduct offensive action against the military.
The NPA of course denies that they had planned an attack and assures the AFP they will not be fighting against soldiers engaged in efforts against COVID-19.
Marco Valbuena, chief of the CPP Central Committee information bureau said "the claim that the NPA unit was planning an attack is baseless," citing Armed Forces of the Philippines reports that the clash on March 28 "was an armed encounter which broke out when troops under the 2nd [Infantry Division] carried out patrol operations mounted by the local AFP unit."
Valbuena insisted that "all units of the (NPA) will continue to uphold the ceasefire declaration of the CPP Central Committee in order to give full play to efforts to extend public health service to the people amid the COVID-19 pandemic."
He vowed "the NPA will not mount armed actions against military, police, paramilitary and other armed agents attached to the [Government of the Republic of the Philippines]," though "they will, remain alert against offensive actions launched by AFP units."
The CPP specifically assured soldiers that "they will not be attacked during the ceasefire period especially if they are conducting public health activities in relation to efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19."
Valbuena urged government soldiers "to concentrate on COVID-19 operations and refrain from conducting anti-NPA patrol operations which may result in armed contact with nearby NPA units."
Cold comfort such an assurance is coming from the NPA.
Despite Duterte declaring a ceasefire and the admonitions of the NPA to refrain from anti-NPA patrols the AFP says they will continue operations against the NPA in Northern Samar after the death of a high-ranking leader.
THE Philippine Army in Northern Samar has vowed to sustain its anti-insurgency operations in the province following the death of a high-ranking leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Catarman.
“Your Army here in Northern Samar will not rest until this terrorist realized the futility of their false revolution that has been dragging the economic progress of the province. It is a reminder also that the hands of the law will reach them, no matter where they are hiding,” said Colonel Zosimo Oliveros, commander of 803rd Infantry Brigade.
Oliveros statement came after Salvador “Badok” Nordan, the alleged deputy of Sub-Regional Operation Command (SROC) of SRC Emporium, was killed by government forces in Catarman on March 6.
The army official also thanked the trust and confidence of the communities for the information to locate the safe houses of Nordan.
“This only shows that they were already tired of the terroristic activities these NPAs have caused not only to the military but also to the helpless civilians,” said Oliveros in a statement.
According to him, the village residents in Guba, Salvacion, Malvar, and San Julian of Catarman “explicitly expressed their frustration against the CPP-NPA-NDF as they issued the Barangay Resolutions denouncing the said terrorist group as persona-non-grata in the area.”
Meanwhile, Oliveros said that Nordan’s death “could have been avoided if only these communist-NPA terrorist members heed to the call of the government to peacefully return to the folds of the law and avail the Enhanced-Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-Clip).”
To those rebels who have heeded the call to avail of E-CLIP the AFP says, "Move on."
A total of 24 former communist rebels recently completed the eight-day de-radicalization program organized by the Army's 23rd Infantry Battalion with the support of the group, People’s Advocacy for Collaboration and Empowerment (PeACE).
“I told them that I am optimistic they will succeed in life after choosing the right path of returning to their families and communities,” Molina told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Thursday.
He said the former rebels are in the process of availing of the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP) of the government.
“Just keep moving on, giving your best, applying what you've learned, you will surely reap a harvest of your efforts. Our government is hell-bent in extending its help because it doesn't want anyone to be left behind,” Molina said.
He said the former rebels who availed of the program last year "are now happily reunited with their families and communities."
Some even opted to join the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) through the Army or the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU), he said.
In a statement issued Thursday, 23IB quoted a former rebel as saying in the dialect: "Through this program, I fully understood what true discipline is. I really felt that we are transformed holistically especially our characters. I learned that what the NPA has inputted in our minds are all lies and deception.”
As the AFP fights on two fronts men are bound
to die and be wounded. Who
would
have thought AFP Chief Gen. Felimon Santos Jr.
would
have been hit?
Armed Forces of the Phiippines chief Gen. Felimon Santos Jr. has tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana disclosed yesterday.
AFP Public Affairs Office chief Capt. Jonathan Zata said that Santos is well, and is currently staying in his military quarters at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City where he will continue discharging his duties and responsibilities.
“General Santos is disclosing the result of the test to inform those he had close physical contact with starting March 13 to March 27 that they should observe the medical protocol of self-quarantine,” Zata said.
Santos will be closely monitored by military physicians from the AFP Medical Center in V. Luna, Quezon City.
Hopefully he recovers and the AFP will not be hampered in their efforts to protect the nation on all fronts.
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