Stop me if you've heard this one before: the downfall of the CPP-NPA is imminent. How many times has the AFP has made that proclamation over the years?
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1139448 |
A ranking military official said on Friday that the snowball of surrenderers led to the dismantling of various communist terrorist groups (CTGs) under the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).
Major General Alfredo V. Rosario Jr., commander of the 7th Infantry “Kaugnay” Division (7ID), Philippine Army based in Fort Magsaysay, Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, said in an interview that the series of setbacks of the communist groups in Central and Northern Luzon, ranging from the dissolution of its two main units, neutralization of top-ranking leaders, and the withdrawal of support by their exploited supporters, resulted in the collapse of the NPA fronts in the 7th ID's area of responsibility (AOR).
The 7th ID's AOR covers the whole of Ilocos (Region 1) and Central Luzon (Region 3), Abra province, and the municipalities of Besao and Tadian in Mountain Province.
The continuous collapse of the CTG leadership and the influx of surrenderers from their ranks were manifestations that the terrorist groups' downfall is inevitable, Rosario said.
Records showed that the 7ID dismantled the Komiteng Larangang Gerilya (KLG) Caraballo during the first quarter of 2019.
Last year, the 7th ID recorded 192 members of the communist terrorist groups who surrendered while 2,172 members of underground movement organizations (UGMOs) withdrew their support.
This year, Rosario noted that at least 38 surrenderers were recorded with 63 UGMO members who abandoned their affiliation with CTGs.
“We unmask the CTG fronts' deceptive scheme of recruitment through massive information dissemination in schools and conflict-affected barangays to protect the vulnerable sectors from being exploited by the rebels,” he said.
He cited that social media has been one of the most effective online platforms to expose the truth behind the CTGs.
Now, that is rather interesting. Of the thousands who have surrendered only 192 were actually members of the NPA. The rest were mass supporters. All will no doubt receive thousands in cash, housing, and job training skills.
Major General Alfredo V. Rosario Jr. says social media has been very effective in exposing the CTGs (communist terrorist group.) That means the AFP is posting memes. Indeed the war against the NPA has many fronts with Facebook being the latest. So how does the NPA recruit? Through agitating the public.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1139058 |
Virgilio Quisto, a former rebel, said preying on people who feel helpless is the expertise of CPP-NPA for them to rise in arms against the government.
"Agitation as a strategy to keep discontent high,” Quisto said in his confession included in the information which he shared before testifying on government’s goodwill to returnees like him after deciding to go back to the fold of the law.
Among the issues raised to agitate the people against government evolved on social issues including land reform, palm oil, poverty and alleged militarization.
He said the CPP-NPA’s agitation strategy has special training and admitted he once worked as a key agitator and leader of the underground movement.
"Then, it was always easy to hit the raw nerve of the poor people, because we trained for that. Now, however, no matter how good the agitation is, somehow the government can easily get and appease the sentiments of the people," Quisto said in front of hundreds of land reform beneficiaries accepting their Certificates of Land Ownership Awards and Agricultural Free Patents during the service caravan in San Vicente village in Trinidad, Bohol on April 27.
Quisto's family received 2.14 hectares of land which they have cultivated since they occupied a portion of the government-sequestered lands of the abandoned Bohol Cattle Corporation.
Land reform is a serious issue in the Philippines. It is certainly not a small thing for farmers to be able to own their land and profit from it. His statement is totally ironic as he made it while receiving 2.14 hectares from the government. At least he's got his.
He goes on to say that he was disillusioned with the CPP-NPA's broken promises. Was he also starving?
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1139229 |
Two ranking New People’s Army (NPA) leaders operating in the areas of Agusan del Sur and parts of Agusan del Norte surrendered on May 3 to the Army’s 23rd Infantry Battalion (23IB), a military official said Wednesday.
In a statement, Lt. Col. Julius Cesar C. Paulo, 23IB commander, identified the NPA officer only as alias 'Hajie' or 'Saed,' 36, the front secretary of Guerrilla Front 88 of the North Central Mindanao Command (NCMRC) of the NPA.
The other surrenderer, Paulo said, is alias 'May-may or Wena,' 31, political officer and political instructor of the same NPA unit.
Paulo said the two surrendered at the headquarters of 23IB in Barangay Alubihid, Buenavista, Agusan del Norte on May 3, and handed over a 1911 .45-caliber pistol with one magazine and five ammunition.
Hajie could no longer endure the hunger and difficulties they experienced inside the movement, he said.
“We do not have enough supply of food as most of our supporters in communities in Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur has already cut ties with the movement. Securing food supply is among the difficulties that GF 88 is facing. Most of the members and fighters in GF 88 are demoralized due to the difficult situation,” Hajie was quoted in the dialect as saying.
He said he also wished to reunite with his family, especially his children.
Paulo welcomed the two surrenderers as he recognized their "bravery in deciding to leave the rebel movement".
“The testimony of alias Hajie indicates the disintegration of the NPA movement in Agusan del Norte due to the difficulties they now face as the consequences of the mass surrenders of their supporters in communities,” Paulo said.
Isn't it rather odd that only two ranking members of this particular NPA group, GF 88, surrendered while the rest stayed behind? If most of the members of their group are demoralized then why did they stay behind? Did no one speak openly of surrendering? These two will certainly be availing of the government's bountiful E-CLIP program and receive cash, housing, and maybe even some land.
Another reason some NPA fighters are surrendering is because of the "meaningless revolution."
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1139601 |
A regular member of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) and nine Milisya ng Bayan (MB) members surrendered to the government last May 6.
"Agot" (not his real name), 24, married, resident of Barangay Molina, Tubungan, Iloilo, gave up to the community support program (CSP) team under the Army's 61st Infantry Battalion (61IB) based in the municipality of Miagao.
“Hardship and the realization of this meaningless revolution pushed alias 'Agot' to yield,” a statement of the 301st Infantry Brigade said on Saturday.
"Agot" was assigned under the Sibat platoon of the Southern Front (SF) of the Kilusang Rehiyon–Panay (KR-P).
Meanwhile, the MBs, supporters of the SF of KR-P, were from Tubungan and Miagao.
“Aside from being a force multiplier, these individuals act as the eyes and ears of the enemy in their barangays to report on presence and movement of government security forces; and offer logistical support to the NPA,” the statement added.
With their surrender, they also gave up seven homemade shotguns with ammunition and magazine, a homemade caliber 45 pistol, and a homemade caliber 38 with ammunition.
One wonders if these people really know what they are fighting for. Have they read the CASER agreement? Do they really think the government would ever agree to such a thing?
We have all heard about how the NTF-ELCAC is necessary to fight the communists. They do this by giving huge grants to communities which are free of CPP-NPA influence so they can build roads, schools, and other necessary infrastructure. But the NTF-ELCAC is not the only organization involved in such activities.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1139214 |
The ongoing construction of an 11.85-kilometer Sta. Maria-Mallig-Upper Atok farm-to-market road (FMR) in Flora, Apayao is seen to boost economic livelihood and help end insurgency.
The PHP195 million project is under the World Bank-supported Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) with a 10 percent counterpart fund from the provincial government of Apayao.
The road is expected to benefit at least three farming villages of Flora such as Barangays Santa Maria, Mallig and Upper Atok.
The mission of the PRDP is:
The Philippine Rural Development Project is a six-year (6) project designed to establish the government platform for a modern, climate-smart and market-oriented agri-fishery sector. PRDP will partner with the LGUs and the private sector in providing key infrastructure, facilities, technology, and information that will raise incomes, productivity, and competitiveness in the countryside.
If roads are the antidote to the insurgency then there should be more roads being constructed throughout the nation. There is no reason farmers should have a difficult time getting their produce to the market.
Unity will also bring an end to the insurgency says one commander.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1138914 |
Amid calls for the defunding of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), a military official called for unity on Monday for a "final push" to end the communist insurgency.“It is then our prayer and hopes that we set aside politics and personal agenda for a while and work together as one in this final push to end the insurgency. This we ask in the name of all those in the frontlines enduring immeasurable sacrifices away from their homes and the thousands who were scarred and died fighting this communist insurgency,” Maj. Gen. Ernesto Torres Jr., commander of the 10th Infantry Division (10ID), said in a statement.
As one of the prime movers on the campaign against the CTGs, Torres said they have a good chance to catch up, reverse the tide to favor the government, sustain the gains, and finally defeat the communist rebel movement.“For the first time, the CPP-NPA-NDF has been given a bitter pill that they struggle to swallow. The NTF ELCAC provides the mechanism and programs to finally put an end to the communist insurgency. And this must be understood and realized by all peace-loving Filipinos,” he said.
Final push, put an end to the communist insurgency, sustain the gains, we've heard this all before. And the AFP has been wrong every single time in predicting the demise of the NPA.
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| https://thediplomat.com/2021/02/an-end-in-sight-for-the-philippines-maoist-insurgency/ |
As Marco Valbuena, the information officer of the Central Committee of the CPP said himself, “[w]e must remember that through the past decades, all of the AFP’s past predictions of crushing the NPA have all been proven wrong.” The NPA’s ability to survive is not only down to factors like the enduring appeal of communism among rural communities and the Philippines’ indigenous peoples (see my recent article), but also because there are clear incentives for the government and the AFP to prevent its total collapse. As long as sustained conflict is mutually beneficial for all sides involved, it is difficult to see an end to the insurgency by 2022.
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