The insurgency will be defeated before President Marcos leaves office. So says the NTF-ELCAC who wants billions more in funds for the cause.
National Security Adviser Eduardo Año again said on Saturday that the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) would “completely crush” the New People’s Army (NPA) within the term of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
In a statement, Año said the NTF-Elcac, which has been getting an average of more than P10 billion every year since 2019, continues to achieve significant and laudable milestones.
In June this year, the government’s anticommunist task force asked Congress to restore the P8.7-billion fund for its Support to Barangay Development Program that would grant P10 million to each barangay liberated from the presence or influence of communist rebels.
According to Año, the Armed Forces of the Philippines has been able to destroy the “politico-military component” of all 89 active NPA fronts since 2018 due to the government’s implementation of multi-pronged political and socio-economic programs.
That's right the NTF-ELCAC wants their funding restored because adviser Año says they will defeat the NPA under the Marcos administration.
The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) is committed to ending the threat posed by the New People's Army (NPA) under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s "Bagong Pilipinas" brand of governance.
“The NTF-ELCAC continues to achieve significant and laudable milestones from the very beginning. Under the Marcos administration, we will carry on with these achievements and we will make sure that during his administration, we will be able to completely crush these peace-spoilers,” National Security Adviser and NTF-ELCAC co-vice chair Eduardo Año said in a statement over the weekend.
He said this is possible as the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has been successful in destroying the politico-military component of all the 89 active NPA guerrilla fronts since 2018 when the anti-insurgency body was created under Executive Order (EO) 70.
“Notably, in the last two quarters, four CTG (communist terrorist group) units have been dismantled. We're also on the verge of completely dismantling the remaining seven weakened guerilla fronts. We expect that the remaining GFs will be dismantled within the year or the next,” Año said.
He emphasized that sustained operations under the “whole-of-government” approach, meaning the close collaborations of different government agencies, local government units (LGUs), and the security sector, led to the surrender of 44,528 communist personalities, the majority of whom were supporters and sympathizers.
“This figure includes the neutralization of 37 key leaders in this semester,” Ano said.
In kinetic operations, the AFP and Philippine National Police recovered different kinds of firearms and explosives from the NPA terrorists alongside body counts and captured members.
Recently, at least 10 NPA rebels, including their leader, perished during an encounter with Army soldiers in Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija.
Since the creation of the NTF-ELCAC, Año said a total of 7,587 firearms of different high and low calibers were surrendered.
“Of the said number, 738 were for this semester alone, surrendered. We hope that these numbers, threats of armed conflict across the country will also significantly dwindle,” he said.
In its report, the NTF-ELCAC’s Peace, Law Enforcement, and Development Support (PLEDS) Cluster revealed that the NPA strength is now down to only 1,251 nationwide.
Forget the fact that is what EVERYONE has said under every president since Cory Aquino. This time they are for reals.
Aside from money the conviction of ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro will also help defeat the insurgency and deter recruitment.
The government will not hesitate to apply the full force of the law to persons and groups exposing the youth to deceitful and dangerous ideologies, the Philippine Army (PA) spokesperson has said.
The remark was made after the Tagum Regional Trial Court Branch 2, in a July 5 decision, convicted former Bayan Muna representative Satur Ocampo, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro, and 11 others of child abuse over a case involving 14 minors in Talaingod, Davao del Norte.
"It sends a clear message that individuals who exploit and endanger the lives of IP (Indigenous Peoples) children by exposing them to false and dangerous ideologies will be held accountable under our laws," Army spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said in a statement late Monday.
He added that the PA remains steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding the welfare of all Filipinos, particularly vulnerable groups that are often targeted by deceitful beliefs.
"This landmark decision stems from their orchestration of the (November) 2018 incident in Talaingod, Davao del Norte when they transported 14 minors who are part of indigenous peoples (IP) communities under the guise of a 'rescue mission'," Dema-ala added.
The ruling is proof of the country's functional justice system, he said.
Is the Army aware the Castro was NOT convicted of being a member of the NPA or recruiting minors to the cause? Let's listen to her.
House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro condemned the recent statements of National Security Adviser Eduardo Año on her guilty verdict, which she labeled as blatant “red-tagging and disinformation”.
“These are nothing but further attempts to legitimize their red tagging and perpetuate their campaign of harassment against progressive individuals and organizations," Castro said in a statement.
Año called the Tagum court decision on Monday, July 15 as proof that “no one is above the law”.
He said the ruling belied Castro’s allegation that her group was only doing a rescue mission in relation to the supposed illegal acquisition and transportation of minors in Talaingod, Davao del Norte in November 2018.
Castro, former Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Satur Ocampo, and 11 others were convicted for violating Section 10(a) of Republic Act (RA) No. 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act.
For Castro, Año’s statement was indicative of the red-tagging that was used on political opponents and dissenters during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
"We know that Año's former boss Rodrigo Duterte is still influential in Mindanao and that the NTF-ELCAC (National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict) is hellbent on having us convicted on trumped up charges," the teacher-solon said.
Año served as the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary under the Duterte administration.
Castro reiterated that she will appeal this guilty verdict even if it reaches the Supreme Court (SC).
“In this situation where the power and influence of red-taggers have become dominant, true justice is set aside,” she pointed out.
She is guilty now but it is on appeal. So is Imelda Marcos!!! That is not stopping people from saying she is affiliated with the NPA.
The conviction of former party-list congressman Satur Ocampo and incumbent Alliance of Concerned Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro is a triumph for all Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in Mindanao, especially the victims of the communist New People’s Army (NPA).
Datu Rico Maca, IP Mandatory Representative (IPMR) of San Miguel, Surigao del Sur, said Tuesday that Ocampo, Castro and other left-leaning organizations orchestrated the establishment of schools in IP villages in Mindanao that served as recruitment grounds for the NPA.
On July 3, the Regional Trial Court Branch 2 in Tagum City convicted Ocampo, Castro and 11 others for violating the provisions of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act.
They were sentenced to four to six years.
The case involved the holding and transporting of 14 minors in Talaingod, Davao del Norte in 2018.
“Here in Surigao del Sur, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the NPA established the Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural and Livelihood Development and the Tribal Filipino Program of Surigao del Sur or TRIFPSS schools in the towns of Lianga, Marihatag, and San Miguel,” Maca said in an interview.
With the efforts of the tribal leaders, local government units and concerned government agencies, the schools have been shut down, he said.
In San Miguel town alone, Maca said NPA-linked groups managed established TRIFPPS schools with 22 classrooms in the villages of Bitaugan, Bolhoon, Libasod, Siagao and Carromata. All were closed in 2021.
“Just like Ocampo and Castro, former Bayan Muna representative Eufemia Cullamat, a Manobo from our province, together with the Save our School Network, established these CPP-NPA-linked schools here in Surigao del Sur, taught our children with false ideas that paved the way for their recruitment to the communist movement,” Maca alleged.
Unfortunately, he added, most of the recruited youth ended up dead during encounters, while others surrendered or were captured and are facing charges in court.
“These groups of Ocampo, Castro, and Cullamat destroyed the future of our youth. We struggled to close down these schools and succeeded. We only wanted an education for our children that would provide them a good future,” Maca said.
The court’s decision, he said, meant that the country's justice system "is genuinely working."
Is this guy aware the court did not convict Castro and the others for being NPA? They convicted her of child abuse for marching children down a dark road at night!
In his decision, Acting Presiding Judge Jimmy Boco said the prosecution established proof beyond reasonable doubt that the accused committed acts detrimental to the safety and well-being of the minor Lumad learners when they transported them on foot from their school in Talaingod, Davao del Norte last November 2018 for around three hours on a remote, dark, and unsecured road, without the assistance of law enforcers, any government agency and written permission from the minors' parents.
He said this exposed the children to the risk of getting shot by either government troops or the New People's Army, getting bitten by snakes, or falling off a cliff.
But Castro maintained it was a rescue mission, prompted by a call they received from teachers who were then allegedly being harassed by a paramilitary group.
Castro and her crew could have "exposed the children to the risk of getting shot by either government troops or the New People's Army, getting bitten by snakes, or falling off a cliff."
Nothing about Castro being NPA. In fact the decision rules that out because it says Castro, by marching them down a dark road, could have exposed them to the NPA! But if Castro was NPA then the children were already exposed to the NPA.
Clearly the Supreme Court is more worried about snake bites than they are about Castro being a member of the NPA.
NPA leaders continue to surrender. But some get arrested. Take a look at this arrested NPA leader who exposes the logic, actually illogic, in the NTF-ELCAC's surrender program.
The arrest of a high-ranking leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Eastern Visayas is justice achieved for victims of the atrocities of the communist terrorist group, the Philippine Army said on Tuesday.
Maj. Gen. Camilo Ligayo, commander of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division, said the arrest of Terrence Eder, alias Anjo, and his wife, Annalyn Eder, alias Anya, is a welcome development.
Authorities apprehended the couple in Guisad village in Baguio City on July 8.
The couple has standing warrants of arrest for violating section 4 of Republic Act 11479, or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, and for the crime of arson.
Terrence was the former secretary of the NPA sub-regional committee emporium of the Eastern Visayas regional party committee. Annalyn served as the educational officer and finance officer of the NPA.
They are residents of Barangay 88 in the San Jose district of Tacloban City.
Ligayo said their apprehension demonstrates the government's commitment to holding those who commit serious crimes, especially violations of anti-terrorism laws, accountable.
"The successful operation shows the government's commitment to delivering justice to victims of terrorism. We will not remain idle and will continue to intensify our efforts to apprehend individuals with outstanding violations," Ligayo added.
The military earlier said the remaining NPA members in Eastern Visayas are now “leaderless” and disorganized with the recent deaths, captures, and surrenders of its top leaders in the region.
The NPA in the region is on the verge of collapse as it could not find potential leaders who would direct and make critical decisions for the group, according to the Army.
Forget about the "leaderless" part. Certainly leaders fill the void. Concentrate on "The successful operation shows the government's commitment to delivering justice to victims of terrorism." If these people surrendered they would have been able to avail of the government's bribery program. But they did not. So now they have been caught it's an act justice? What about all the E-CLIP members who have committed atrocities!? It seems like they are admitting it is not an act of justice to the victim's families to give surrendered rebels money and housing rather than tossing them into prison.
