Two more towns in Southern Leyte have been declared rebel-free. There was a big ceremony with the releasing of white doves to mark the occasion.
Two more towns in Southern Leyte have been formally declared as completely free from the threats of the New People's Army (NPA), the Philippine Army said on Monday.
Brig. Gen. Noel Vestuir, commander of the Philippine Army’s 802nd Infantry Brigade, said the declaration led by the town mayors of San Ricardo and Pintuyan marked a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts to maintain peace and stability.
“With no sightings of armed rebels for several years now, these towns have achieved insurgency-free status and officially, stable internal peace and security conditions (SIPSC),” Vestuir said in a phone interview.
A town earns SIPSC status if there has been no NPA activity in the area for several years, and no resident is identified as an active armed rebel, according to Vestuir.
Ceremonies were held on Oct. 11 to highlight the declarations, which included the signing of memoranda of agreements and pledges of commitment, along with the simultaneous release of white doves, symbolizing peace and new beginnings.
This declaration comes after several years of no sightings of armed rebels. It's a good thing the Army takes its time to verify such things but it is still no guarantee there are zero rebels in the area. The Army has previously admitted that to be the case.
The Army has been conducting their deradicalization program to help former rebels start new lives.
At least 50 former New People's Army (NPA) rebels benefited from a three-day deradicalization program conducted recently by the 903rd Infantry Brigade (903rd IB) of the Philippine Army in Daraga, Albay.
In an interview on Tuesday, Capt. Richelle Arambuyong, 903rd IB Civil Military Operation (CMO) officer, said the deradicalization program is part of the government's efforts to reintegrate individuals previously engaged in armed conflict into the mainstream society.
"The FRs (former rebels) were from Sorsogon and Albay. The activity was conducted to correct the ideologies and doctrines instilled in them," she said.
Arambuyong said the FRs were taught sustainable livelihood opportunities, housing, amnesty programs, and the role of education in preventing future radicalization.
"The initiative provided support and rehabilitation, focusing on skills development, psychological counseling, and community engagement to help former rebels transition into peaceful civilian life," she added.
Arambuyong said after the activity, the FRs returned to their community with livelihood aid and skills training from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and jobs given by the local government unit (LGU) of Sorsogon under the 7K program.
The "7K" is a flagship program of the provincial government that prioritizes Kalikasan (environment) Kalinisan (cleanliness), Kagandahan (tourism and aesthetic), Kadunungan (education), Kalusugan (health), Kabuhayan (economy) and Katrankiluhan (peace and order).
"They (FRs) were also profiled by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for livelihood starter kits. They also filled out for the National Housing Authority provision. Some food packs were also provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)," Arambuyong said.
She said the activity was made possible by the 31st Infantry Battalion and its partner agencies including the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)-Sorsogon, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), and the National Amnesty Commission, among others.
In a statement, 903rd Commander Brig. Gen. Jose Ricky Laniog emphasized the importance of collaboration between government agencies, communities, and non-governmental organizations in ensuring the program's success.
"The activity was conducted to correct the ideologies and doctrines instilled in them." That sounds exactly like brainwashing. What ideologies and doctrines are the Army instilling in the minds of these people?
The NTF-ELCAC says they have completely only 74% of their projects for 2023.
The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) announced that around 74 percent of its Barangay Development Program (BDP) projects scheduled for 2023 have been completed.
This includes 100 new classrooms to enhance the educational opportunities for children in these underserved communities, the anti-insurgency body said in a statement late Wednesday.
In addition to school buildings, the BDP has also completed 511 farm-to-market roads, 99 water and sanitation systems, 91 health stations, and 127 rural electrification projects.
National Security Adviser Secretary Eduardo Año commended the concerted efforts of the BDP, highlighting its role in bringing meaningful change to conflict-affected areas and bridging the gap between these communities and stable governance.
"The significant strides made by implementing the BDP through electrification, infrastructure, health services, and livelihood programs ensure that essential services reach our most vulnerable communities," he stated.
Año, who is also NTF-ELCAC vice chair, said the transformation of these areas is a crucial step toward achieving long-lasting peace and development as they are being exploited by communist insurgents as a source of recruits against the government.
The NTF-ELCAC vice chairperson also emphasized the effectiveness of the whole-of-nation approach, highlighting the crucial role of all agencies and stakeholders in fostering lasting peace and creating meaningful opportunities for communities affected by decades of conflict.
The BDP, a flagship initiative of the NTF-ELCAC, aims to improve the quality of life in communities affected by local communist armed conflict by delivering essential services and socio-economic development projects.
This approach is designed to reduce local support for insurgents and foster stability in these areas. Since its inception in 2021, the BDP has implemented socio-economic projects in over 4,000 barangays, encompassing housing, agricultural infrastructure, training and livelihood programs, and assistance to indigent families.
As of Oct. 9 this year, the BDP continues to make progress with 23 projects in the pre-procurement phase, involving detailed engineering design and program of works preparation.
Meanwhile, 31 projects are currently in the procurement and bidding phase and 269 projects are actively being implemented.
For fiscal year 2024, the BDP has allocated PHP2.5 million to each of the 864 participating barangays, with a total of 885 projects planned.
As of this time, nine projects have been completed, including two farm-to-market roads, one health station, and six rural electrification projects.
Meanwhile, NTF-ELCAC executive director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. underscored the BDP's crucial role in countering the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front's long-standing strategy of exploiting vulnerable communities in conflict zones.
"The BDP has bridged development gaps in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs), which have historically been exploited by communist violent extremism," he said, highlighting the program's impact in disrupting the cycle of conflict.
Just think how developed the Philippines could be if national development had been a goal of the government. So many politicians speak of the Philippines being like Singapore and middle income but when millions are without toilets and electricity that will never happen. It's a shame that good governance is being used as a counterinsurgency program instead of being the norm.
The NTF-ELCAC recently sat down for a roundtable discussion with Ateneo de Davao University concerning red-tagging. NTF-ELCAC executive director and Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. says they are merely truth telling.
The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) maintained that it is not in the business of red-tagging and is engaged in informing and protecting vulnerable sectors like the youth against recruitment attempts by the communist insurgents.
“We are not red-tagging; we are truth-telling,” NTF-ELCAC executive director and Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. said in a statement Thursday.
He emphasized that NTF-ELCAC’s mission is to safeguard the public, particularly the youth, from deceptive recruitment practices by front organizations linked to the Communist Party of the Philippines-New Peoples' Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF).
Torres reiterated the same in a roundtable discussion organized by Ateneo de Davao University on Oct. 11.
The NTF-ELCAC executive director, along with other officials of the body and former rebels, addressed the red-tagging allegations head-on.
"It is our responsibility to ensure the safety of our youth from organizations that, while claiming to champion democracy, are actively working to further the violent agenda of these terrorist groups," Torres stressed.
The discussion also touched on accusations that NTF-ELCAC is demonizing groups like Anakbayan and other youth organizations.
“We respect legitimate activism as a crucial part of our democracy. However, there is a line between advocacy and recruitment into terrorism. NTF-ELCAC is dedicated to exposing those organizations that serve the interests of the CPP-NPA-NDF, to protect our youth from being misled," he pointed out.
Further allegations claim that red-tagging by NTF-ELCAC has led to harassment, enforced disappearances, and human rights violations which Torres categorically denied, reaffirming that the task force’s operations are conducted within the framework of the law.
“Our mission is to promote peace and development, and we do not condone any form of violence or harassment. Any suggestion otherwise is a baseless attempt to discredit the government's legitimate efforts to combat terrorism," he further stressed.
Torres also emphasized the NTF-ELCAC's commitment to transparency and public safety.
“The government offers peaceful avenues for addressing grievances, including economic programs and local peace initiatives. It is the terrorist organizations that manipulate the idealism of the youth and lure them into violence,” he explained.
Torres also highlighted the government's ongoing efforts to provide better opportunities for the youth through education, livelihood programs, and reforms aimed at uplifting communities.
The NTF-ELCAC says they are truth telling about certain front groups who recruit into the CPP-NPA. This claim belies the AFP's claim that the CPP-NPA is unable to recruit due to a lack of leadership. The front groups are also not named.
Red-tagging is a real practice that has endangered the lives of those tagged by authorities. The latest strange case is that of Marcylyn Pilala and Alaiza Lemita who have been accused of supporting the NPA by giving them groceries and cooking them food.
In what human rights defenders describe as an “absurdity” in the antiterror law, two women from Mountain Province are facing complaints for terrorism financing after they allegedly sold grocery items and provided meals of rice and adobo to New People’s Army (NPA) rebels.
Marcylyn Pilala, an Igorot and “sari-sari” store owner, along with Alaiza Lemita, the sister of a slain activist, asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday to toss out the complaints.
Filing separate counteraffidavits, Pilala and Lemita denied any involvement in the decades-old communist insurgency.
Lemita said the complaint filed against her by Police Staff Sgt. Reyanante Malvar of the Batangas police was the “third attempt” to harass her for what she supposedly did more than seven years ago.
“These accusations have been dismissed and are being resurrected without new or credible evidence,” she said.
The complaint against Lemita was based on the sworn statement of Ronie Gutierrez, a former rebel who claimed that about two weeks after an armed encounter in Batangas on March 10, 2017, Lemita tried to deliver food to his NPA unit using “an ambulance.”
This first attempt failed because of a police checkpoint, he said. But the following day, the woman succeeded in bringing rice and adobo, which she concealed in sacks, to the rebels at Barangay Banilad, Nasugbu town.
“Once again, I strongly deny these accusations not only for being false but also for representing a continued effort to harass me using fabricated criminal complaints. The lack of credible witnesses, together with the state’s repeated attempts to prosecute me, shows that this complaint is baseless and should be dismissed,” Lemita said.
At the time of the alleged food delivery, Lemita was a third-year student at Batangas State University, according to her counteraffidavit which also had copies of her school records, grades and ID as attachments.
“In addition to its legal infirmities, the complaint should be dismissed for being factually baseless. The allegation that I provided cooked rice, adobo, and cash to the NPA on March 10, 2017, is entirely false,” she said.
Meanwhile, the complaint against Pilala was based on the affidavits of alleged rebel returnees Victor Baltazar and Karen Baltazar, who claimed that in March 2020, Pilala received a sum of P100,000 and used it to buy provisions for the NPA.
Karen, along with her husband and comrades, said they would often pick up grocery items, such as canned goods, rice, medicines, bath soap and personal hygiene kits from Pilala’s sari-sari store at Barangay Gueday, Besao, in Mountain Province.
“I vehemently deny the above accusations. Contrary to the complainants and their witnesses’ false claims, I am a civilian; I am not, and never have been, a member of the underground communist movement,” Pilala said.
“I am being charged with a crime I did not commit. I have lived a simple life and have never been charged or accused of any crime until this instant case against me was filed,” she added.
Pilala explained that from March 2 to June 14 that year, she was working as a substitute teacher at Pangweo Elementary School in Besao.
“I did not receive any PHP100,000 in March 2020,” she said, attaching a copy of her bank statement to her counteraffidavit.
Pilala said she could not have possibly supplied or sold provisions to the NPA since she started managing her mother’s store only in October 2021, long after the Baltazar couple had surrendered.
“I have maintained employment at various schools and establishments, which render the allegations of the spouses Baltazar impossible,” she said.
For Beverly Longid, national convener of Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas, the complaints against the two women showed that even simple acts like selling or providing food can be twisted as basis for criminal accusations under the antiterror law.
“It’s a clear example of how these laws are weaponized to intimidate and harass those who stand up for their rights,” Longid said.
The complaints also relied solely on the claims made by purported rebel returnees, “individuals who are often paid or coerced by state agencies, including the police and military, to fabricate evidence against rights defenders and civilians,” she said.
The cases against these ladies were tossed out only to be refiled. They claim the charges are baseless. So, why has the government resurrected these charges? These two ladies are not the first to be red-tagged and they won't be the last.
