Insurgency: Admit Failure And Defeat

The NTF-ELCAC says its time for the CPP and allies groups to admit failure and defeat. Not only have they not delivered on their promises but their whole paradigm is an ancient relic from the Cold War. The world has moved on.  

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1265938

Despite its decades-long existence, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), together with its allied groups, has failed in its mission to establish a communist state in the Philippines supposedly focused on the needs of the masses, a government task force official said Monday.

"After 57 years of bloodshed, the CPP, including its armed wing, NPA, and legal shield, NDF should finally do what it has stubbornly refused to do for more than half a century: admit failure and defeat," Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr., executive director of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), said in a statement.

NPA refers to the New People's Army, while the NDF stands for the National Democratic Front.

The CPP was formally established on Dec. 26, 1968 by Jose Maria "Joma" Sison, who died in exile in the Netherlands in December 2022.

Torres said the CPP's "violent strategy" to seize political power has collapsed under the weight of its own failures.

"None — not a single one — of the grand promises made to the first generations of cadres ever came true," he said.

"What the movement did achieve is grim and undeniable: it sent tens of thousands of Filipinos — mostly poor, rural, and indigenous — into early graves."

Torres described the CPP as an organization "frozen in time — an ancient relic trapped in the vacuum of a Cold War that ended decades ago."

"Its language, enemies, and slogans belong to a world that no longer exists," he said. "What it parades today as strength is little more than rhetoric about a phantom army, punctuated by sporadic acts of terror that wreak havoc while accelerating its own decimation."

The NTF-ELCAC has pegged the number of NPA rebels to about 780, down from the estimated 25,000 during the group's peak in the 1980s.

Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier said the Marcos administration is committed to improving the lives of former rebels who willingly choose the path to peace.

Under the peace agenda of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., former communist insurgents can avail of the national government’s socio-economic projects, as well as its amnesty program to address their legal concerns, enabling them to complete their transformative journey and successfully return to mainstream society.

In 2023, Marcos issued Proclamation 404, granting amnesty to former CPP, NPA and NDF members who have committed crimes punishable under the Revised Penal Code and Special Penal laws in furtherance of their political beliefs, among other offenses.

Perhaps the CPP would point to North Korea, China, Cuba, Vietnam, and Laos as fully functioning communist countries. China is even more advanced than the Philippines in terms of infrastrucutre. The Philippine government reduced good governance and road building to a counterinsurgency program. The truth is both the CPP and the Philippine government have failed to deliver their promises. 

The NTF-ELCAC also says the NPA has no legitimate mass support. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1266014

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Wednesday refuted claims made by the New People's Army (NPA) that it still enjoys support from communities.

In a statement, NTF-ELCAC Executive Director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. said NPA rebels would not be hiding and extorting from civilian communities if they still enjoy genuine mass support.

Torres issued the statement in response to claims made by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) that communities "do not welcome NPA only because of military force."

According to Torres, such claim "ignores a simple reality that if the NPA still enjoyed genuine mass support, it would not need to hide, extort, or punish civilians to survive."

He added that the presence of AFP units in former conflict areas is not evidence of NPA strength but merely the State exercising its responsibility to protect communities from residual violence and coercion coming from the remnants of the communist insurgents.

Torres also blasted the CPP for labelling former members and witnesses as "traitors."

"This ad hominem attack does not invalidate the sworn testimonies, judicial findings, and community accounts," he said. "These Filipinos did not leave the CPP’s tyranny because they were coerced; they left because they saw, from the inside, the moral, political, and strategic bankruptcy of the CPP-NPA armed violence." 

If that is the case then how is it thousands of mass supporters continue to surrender? 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1264830

Close to 2,000 New People's Army (NPA) rebels and their sympathizers have been neutralized since the start of the year until Dec. 4, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reported on Tuesday.

Of the 1,928 total number of neutralized communist rebels and supporters, 1,729 have surrendered to authorities, 93 were arrested and 106 were killed in combat operations, the military said.

Those numbers are not broken down but there is now way the majority of those surrenders are actual rebels and not supporters. How many more mass supporters are out there?

The NTF-ELCAC says they remain committed to sustain peace gains in 2026. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1266077

A ranking official of the National Task Force to End Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Friday reiterated the body's commitment to sustaining the government's peace gains and preventing the resurgence of communist armed violence.

In a statement, NTF-ELCAC Executive Director, Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr., said that preserving and maintaining peace is a "daily responsibility" of all Filipinos.

“Lasting peace and genuine development are possible, but they are never automatic,” he said.

While noting the tangible gains of the anti-insurgency body, Torres said complacency has no place in the work ahead.

"Peace must be defended, strengthened, and renewed every day," he said.

The NTF-ELCAC's mandate, he said, remains firmly rooted in addressing the roots of conflict through good governance, inclusive development, and protection of communities from deception and violence.

Its work is not about suppressing dissent or narrowing democratic space, but about safeguarding democracy itself by clearly distinguishing legitimate criticism from the exploitation of grievances to justify armed violence, Torres added.

This distinction, he said, has become even more crucial as groups linked to the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army – National Democratic Front continue to test democratic boundaries, particularly in schools, sectoral organizations, and electoral spaces.

“Democracy thrives on debate, but it cannot tolerate the grooming of the youth, the manipulation of communities, or the normalization of terror under political language,” Torres said.

The NTF-ELCAC official also underscored the central role of former rebels and conflict-affected communities, describing them not as passive recipients of policy but as active partners in peacebuilding.

He said the decision of thousands of former combatants to abandon armed struggle and help rebuild their communities stands as one of the strongest repudiations of violence in recent Philippine history.

“Reintegration, amnesty, and community development are not acts of charity. They are investments in a future where no Filipino is forced to choose between ideology and survival,” he further said.

He noted that protecting the youth and other vulnerable sectors remains a key priority in 2026, emphasizing that schools must remain sanctuaries of learning rather than recruitment grounds, and that activism should build rather than destroy.

“Democracy is strengthened when truth is spoken plainly. The future belongs not to those who glorify violence, but to those who choose the harder work of building," Torres said.

"The NTF-ELCAC's mandate, he said, remains firmly rooted in addressing the roots of conflict through good governance, inclusive development, and protection of communities from deception and violence." The only  people who can address the subject of good governance are the politicians and bureaucrats who govern the nation. Can the NTF-ELCAC really stamp out corruption? Of course not. All they can do is determine which areas receive funds to building roads. 

The Army and PNP recovered an arms cache in Masbate.   

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1266001

Soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Battalion of the 9th Infantry Division (9ID) of the Philippine Army, in coordination with the Philippine National Police, seized a cache of New People’s Army (NPA) explosives in Barangay Libas, Placer, Masbate on Tuesday.  

In an information released by the 9ID, government troops were acting on information from local residents, uncovered an NPA arms cache containing 42 anti-personnel mines, and 119 improvised hand grenades.  

In a statement, Maj. Gen. Aldwine Almase, commander of the 9th Infantry Division said the development underscores that there are no longer safe places for terrorist groups, as even their former supporters are now providing information to authorities if not their whereabouts, the whereabouts of their arms cache.  

“The use, stockpiling, and emplacement of anti-personnel mines constitute a clear violation of International Humanitarian Law, particularly the principles of distinction and civilian protection. These indiscriminate weapons pose a grave threat to noncombatants and civilian communities,” he said.

The discovery recalls the NPA’s act of terrorism through the indiscriminate use of explosives in Masbate, which then led to the death of football player Kieth Absalon and his cousin, Nolven Absalon, following a roadside blast last June 6, 2021.  

The incident underscored the lethal impact of prohibited weapons on innocent civilians.  

Almase thanked the Masbateños for their continued cooperation to totally eliminate terrorism brought by the NPAs in the province.  

“We thank the Masbateños for their continued cooperation and support in order to completely suppress the insurgency in Masbate. To the remaining regular NPA, People's Militia (MB), and CTG supporters, let us not wait for a repeat of the violence that befell Keith Absalon due to explosives or APMs whose manufacture and use are clearly illegal. To prevent the continued toll on Filipino lives caused by more than five decades of futile armed struggle, your soldiers here in the Bicol Region wish you your conversion and return to normal life. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of us,” Almase added.

He said investigation and clearing operations continue to ensure public safety and to prevent further threats to the community. 

That is 42 landmines which won't blow anyone up. 

In Occidental Mindoro the Army clashed with the NPA.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2161775/army-troops-clash-with-communist-rebels-in-occidental-mindoro

Government troops clashed with suspected communist rebels on Thursday morning in Barangay Cabacao, Abra de Ilog town, Occidental Mindoro, the Philippine Army said.

In an initial statement released at 11 a.m., the 203rd Infantry “Bantay Kapayapaan” Brigade reported that soldiers from the 76th Infantry Battalion (Victrix), under the 2nd Infantry Division, encountered members of a Communist Terrorist Group in Sitio Mamara while conducting security operations in the area.

Authorities said information on casualties, damage, and the duration of the encounter has yet to be determined.

The CPP-NPA says they were observing a ceasefire and the AFP broke it. 

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/684351/we-are-observing-ceasefire-cpp-disputes-afp-report-on-mindoro-clash

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reported a clash with suspected New People’s Army (NPA) members on Thursday in Sitio Mamara, Barangay Cabacao, Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro, amid their unilateral ceasefire with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

In a social media post, the 203rd Infantry Brigade claimed that troops from the 76th Infantry Battalion and the 5th Scout Ranger Battalion encountered what it called a “Communist Terrorist Group” in the area. 

Residents reported the presence of armed NPA members who had allegedly gathered to mark the CPP anniversary and celebrate the New Year, according to the military.

According to the Army, a resident alerted soldiers about armed individuals carrying long firearms, prompting a strike operation that led to an armed encounter.

The military said it recovered ATM cards, identification cards, personal belongings, medical and hygiene kits, food supplies, and alleged subversive documents from the site. Photos of the items were posted on its social media page.

Authorities said they are coordinating with the local government and police to identify individuals entering the area under Abra de Ilog’s “Dayo Ordinance,” enacted in 2025. Residents were urged to report suspicious individuals.

In a statement on Thursday, CPP chief information officer Marco Valbuena said AFP troops attacked an NPA unit that was observing the CPP’s ceasefire from Dec. 31 to Jan. 1. He said the unit later withdrew and was in the area to provide medical and other services to local communities, mostly Mangyan residents.

Valbuena accused the AFP of disrupting peace in the area and claimed the military used heavy gunfire and helicopter gunships, causing fear among civilians.

Well, the AFP did warn the NPA they were not observing the ceasefire!