How many NPA rebels are left in the mountains and jungles holding out against all hope? It is a perennial question. The last official count in mid-August 2024 was between 1,200 and 2,000. Now the AFP is reporting they have neutralized over 2,000 NPA rebels between January and October of 2024.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1998840/over-2000-npa-rebels-neutralized-from-jan-to-oct-2024-afp |
More than 2,000 New People’s Army (NPA) rebels have been “neutralized” based on the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) data from January to October this year.
AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla reported that a total of 2,218 members of the NPA, which the military labels as a communist terrorist group, were neutralized from January 1 to October 24.
“A total of 2,218 Communist terrorist group members and supporters were neutralized, broken down to 1,952 surrendered, 134 apprehended, and 132 killed,” Padilla said in a press briefing on Tuesday.
Among the items confiscated or surrendered by the NPA members were 1,084 firearms and 342 anti-personnel mines.
During the same period, Padilla said that 261 local terrorist group members were also neutralized. Of this figure, 197 surrendered, 12 were apprehended, and 52 were killed.
In August this year, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said the NPA force continues to dwindle, adding that its weakened guerrilla fronts decreased from seven to five.
Earlier, Padilla explained that units considered weakened can no longer implement programs like recruiting members or generating resources to support their armed struggle.
That number is ludicrous and grossly inflated. How many of the 2,218 were actual NPA rebels? In July of 2023 the AFP estimated there were approximately 1,800 rebels left.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1799676/fwd-afp-npa-has-around-1800-members-left |
From around 2,000 members reported in 2022, the communist New People’s Army (NPA) is now down to around 1,800 fighters, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said on Monday.
“The CPP-NPA is down to 1,800 plus members,” Aguilar said in an online press conference. CPP stands for the Communist Party of the Philippines.
Aguilar, however, declined to divulge the primary locations of the insurgents.“Let the military worry about the breakdown. These are tactical information we cannot divulge,” he said.
Aguilar added around 400 NPA rebels have pending cases.
“As we look at the data right now, with 1,800 plus remaining, around 400 plus of them … are facing cases,” Aguilar said
If 2,218 NPA rebels were neutralized that would mean in 2023 there were around 4,000 remaining. Clearly the AFP is once again misinforming the public on the number of remaining NPA rebels. That is nothing new and has been covered in this seres of articles many times.
Last week the acting chairman of the CPP was arrested. The CPP claims the arrest was illegal because he is a peace consultant. They demanded his release. NSC spokesperson Jonathan Malaya laughed in response.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2024/10/26/funny-preposterous-says-nsc-of-cpp-claim-its-chairman-is-immune-from-arrest |
The National Security Council (NSC) dismissed the claim of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) that its acting chairman, Wigberto Villarico, shall be immune from arrest since he is supposedly a peace consultant of the National Democratic Front (NDF).
“We find as funny and preposterous the claim of the CPP – NPA (New People’s Army) – NDF that CPP Chairman Baylon Villarico is a ‘peace consultant’ and is therefore immune from arrest under the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantee (JASIG) signed way back during the Fidel Ramos administration,” said NSC spokesperson Jonathan Malaya in a statement Saturday, Oct. 26.
Villarico, 68, was arrested in Fairview, Quezon City on Oct. 24 on the strength of a warrant of arrest for two counts of kidnapping with murder. Villarico was tagged as one of the suspects in the kidnapping and murder of two individuals back in 2007 in Brgy. Cagsiay, Mauban, Quezon Province.
According to the NSC, Villarico replaced the late Benito Tiamzon as the leader of the CPP when the latter died in a military encounter in Samar on Aug. 22, 2022.
The CPP condemned “in the strongest terms” the arrest of Villarico as it insisted that he is a peace consultant of the NDF and, therefore, protected by the JASIG, an agreement between the Philippine government (GRP) and the NDF signed on Feb. 24, 1995 which provides safety and immunity guarantees that protect the rights of negotiators, consultants, staffers, security and other personnel who participate in the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations.
“Being a peace consultant of the NDFP, Villarico is protected by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG). He holds documents identifying him as such. Under the JASIG, the Philippine government agreed not to subject consultants, personnel, and staff members of the NDFP to surveillance and arrest,” CPP spokesperson Marco Valbuena said.
But the previous Duterte administration terminated the JASIG in February 2017 when the peace talks by the government with the CPP collapsed.
“So what immunity under the JASIG are they talking about?” Malaya asked.
According to Malaya, the Joint Oslo Communique signed by the Marcos Jr. administration and the NDF in November 2023 to resolve the roots of the armed conflict and end the armed struggle being waged by the CPP-NPA-NDF “did not resurrect the JASIG.”
“The JASIG is as good as dead,” he noted.
The NSC spokesman reiterated that Villarico was arrested based on a warrant of arrest issued by the Regional Trial Court of Mauban, Quezon for his crimes.
He accused Villarico of being responsible for numerous atrocities including “against government forces, killing and liquidation of individuals, terrorist attacks on innocent communities, sabotaging government projects, and various extortion and money-making activities in Southern Luzon.”
Villarico also allegedly led violent purges within the CPP-NPA Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee in the 1980s “where many were executed by his own hands.”
“The CPP-NPA-NDF wants him to get away with murder because he’s a peace advocate? Not so fast. It is time for him to face the court of law and to account for his crimes to the Filipino people,” Malaya said.
Meanwhile, the CPP demanded that Villarico’s rights shall be respected, that he be immediately released, and al “trumped up” charges against him be immediately withdrawn.
They also asked that Villarico shall be be accorded his right to his own lawyer, and to a doctor of his choice as he is purportedly suffering from various ailments including spondylitis, hypertension, heart arythmia, asthma, and prostate enlargement among others.
Upon realizing their mistake the CPP demanded that Villario at least get his medicine.
During a relief mission for tropical storm Kristine the AFP was involved in an armed encounter with the NPA. One solider was wounded.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1998024/soldier-in-relief-mission-wounded-in-clash-with-npa-in-albay |
A soldier belonging to the Philippine Army’s 49th Infantry Battalion (49IB) was wounded in an encounter with a group of communist rebels in Barangay (village) Matanglad, Pio Duran town, Albay province on Sunday, October 27.
Major Frank Roldan, chief of the Army’s 9th Infantry Division’s Public Affairs Office, told the Inquirer in a phone interview that the troops were transporting relief goods for victims of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine (international name: Trami) in Barangay Matangland when they encountered approximately 11 New People’s Army (NPA) rebels, resulting in a 15-minute exchange of fire.
“One soldier was hit by shrapnel, causing a wound on his knee. He is now stable and recovering,” Roldan said.
The troops recovered from the clash site an improvised explosive device, a detonating switch and cord, one bandolier, a cellular phone, three hammocks, and four backpacks, he added.
When asked if there were any casualties on the enemy side, Roldan said, “Still undetermined; they withdrew toward the northwest.”
Police Brigadier General Andre Dizon, Bicol police director, condemned the atrocities committed by the rebels as law enforcers were out helping those displaced by the storm that has devastated most of the Bicol Region.
“We are calling on citizens to report the presence of these communist terrorist groups and to help stop the offensive actions against the military, who are conducting humanitarian activities for TS Kristine victims,” he said in a separate phone interview on Sunday.
In another clash with the Philippine Army on All Saint's Day an NPA rebel was killed.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2024/11/1/npa-killed-in-all-saints-day-clash |
A New People’s Army rebel was killed in an encounter with the Army 12th Infantry Battalion in Sitio Hilwan, Barangay Manica, Libacao town, Aklan province on Oct. 31.
Troops were in the area conducting foot patrol in response to information from residents that communist fighters are conducting extortion activities when they figured in the gunbattlle.
A 10-minute firefight erupted and recovered from the encounter site were an M16 rifle, three magazines, a bandolier, backpack, and personal belongings.
Major Gen. Marion Sison, 3rd ID commander, lauded troops for standing their accomplishment.
“This encounter highlighted the strengthened cooperation between the Army and Aklanons, working together to sustain the environment of Aklan as a peaceful and communist-free province,” said Sison in a statement on All Saints’ Day.
The NPA was in the area conducting extortion activities and was able to fight the AFP. But the AFP has been saying the NPA is leaderless and unable to carry out such actions. Seems they are wrong.
Meanwhile 7 NPA rebels in Caraga surrendered to the PNP.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1236909 |
Seven New People’s Army (NPA) members surrendered to the Police Regional Office in Caraga (PRO-13) on Oct. 30 following negotiations led by police units across the region, the office reported Friday.
Among those who surrendered was a 27-year-old rebel, identified only as Alias Dems, a member of the Sandatahang Yunit Pampropaganda (SYP) Sikop of the NPA’s North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC).
Dems surrendered to the Agusan del Norte Provincial Police Office (ADNPPO), turning over a .22-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver, 20 rounds of ammunition, and an improvised explosive device (IED).
Also surrendered on Oct. 30 were Alias Junior, 23, from the disbanded Guerrilla Front 4-A’s SYP Kingdom, and Alias Nelo, 30, of SYP 21C under the NCMRC, who yielded to the ADNPPO. "Nelo" turned in a .38-caliber revolver with four rounds of ammunition.
Negotiations facilitated by PRO-13 Intelligence and Butuan City Police also persuaded Alias Boy, 39, a former Squad Uno member of dismantled Guerrilla Front 4-A, and Alias Da, 38, of the Milisya ng Bayan (MB) under SYP 21C, to leave the NPA on Oct. 30.
Additionally, two rebels identified as Alias Badi, 33, an MB member under Guerrilla Front 14 of the North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee, and Alias Jord, 30, of Guerrilla Front 20 of the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee, surrendered to police in Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur on Oct. 31. Both turned over two .38 revolvers, four rounds of ammunition, a rifle grenade, and an IED.
The surrendered individuals will undergo profiling and debriefing as part of the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program, which assists former rebels in reintegrating into society.
“May these achievements serve as a wake-up call to those still bound by Communist Terrorist Group ideologies. PRO-13 stands ready to guide those willing to embrace peace,” said PRO-13 Director Brig. Gen. Alan Nazarro.
The PNP received the NPA rebels' weapons and the rebels will now receive thousands of pesos worth of aid. Not a bad trade.
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