The 2026 Global Terrorism Index has been released and of course the Philippines makes the cut. However, they are down on the list. But only a little.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2179996/gti-terrorism-remains-persistent-security-challenge-for-ph |
The Philippines’ latest ranking in the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) underscores the persistent security challenge terrorism poses to the country, a data expert said.
Based on data from the Sydney-based Institute for Economics and Peace, the Philippines ranked 20th out of 163 countries in the 2025 edition of the GTI, with a score of 5.17 on a 10-point scale, with 10 as the worst.
Published annually, the GTI uses a composite score of terrorism incidents, deaths, injuries, and hostages over a five-year period to provide a longer-term picture of the impact of terrorism rather than focusing on isolated events.
Dr. Alicor Panao, Inquirer data scientist and University of the Philippines associate professor, said the Philippines remains among the countries most affected by terrorism in the Asia-Pacific.
Based on the GTI, the Philippines ranked slightly better than Myanmar, which has seen an escalation in violence linked to political instability. Myanmar scored 6.93 and ranked 11th out of 163.
With fewer terrorism-related incidents, deaths, injuries, and hostages in recent years, Thailand and Indonesia scored lower than both Myanmar and the Philippines, with 4.63 and 4.17, respectively.
As Panao pointed out, “Indonesia has faced Islamist militancy in the past, yet now records fewer incidents and casualties, highlighting divergent security trajectories within comparable political contexts.”
“Comparisons within Southeast Asia are particularly instructive because countries in the region share broadly similar development levels, security institutions, and exposure to internal armed groups,” he said.China, Japan and South Korea registered far lower scores because of the rarity and limited impact of terrorist attacks, Panao said in his analysis of the 2025 GTI.
For the Philippines, Panao said the result indicates how terrorism has become a recurring security challenge and a development obstacle.
Terrorism, he said, is a serious concern, especially in “key areas where persistent instability raises public costs, discourages investment, and complicates long-term planning.”
The Philippines recorded 31 deaths from 22 attacks in the previous year, making it the second most impacted by terrorism in the region, the GTI said.
On Jan. 6, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said a total of 2,306 alleged terrorists and their supporters were “neutralized” by the government in 2025.
"Terrorism has become a recurring security challenge and a development obstacle." The public won't hear the military or politicians making such a pronouncement. According to them the insurgency is insignificant! But outsiders who look at the entire world say that is far from the case. The report can be read here.
Between January 1st and February 5th 55 insurgents and allies have been neutralized.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1268725 |
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday announced that it neutralized 55 members and allies of the New People’s Army and seized 103 firearms and anti-personnel mines (APMs) from communist insurgent remnants from Jan. 1 to Feb. 5.
Of the 55, a total of 45 surrendered, four were arrested and six were killed, AFP public affairs office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said during a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
Also captured were seven camps.
Neutralized in military parlance means the surrender, capture or killing of enemy troops.
Last year, the military neutralized 2,018 NPA members and supporters -- 1,798 have surrendered, 93 were arrested and 127 were killed nationwide.
This year, the AFP has already confiscated 81 firearms and 22 APMs as of Feb. 5.
Of course the AFP does not offer a break down in numbers. How many of those 55 were actual NPA combatants versus mere supporters? That distinction is important and it is always omitted.
Another NPA leader has been killed in a clash with the AFP.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2026/02/11/npa-leader-killed-in-camarines-norte-clash |
A high-ranking New People's Army leader was killed in a clash with government troops in Camarines Norte on Tuesday, the 9th Infantry Division (ID) reported Wednesday.
Major Frank Roldan, 9th ID spokesperson, identified the rebel as alias “Ino,” secretary of Sub-Regional Committee 1 of the Bicol Regional Party Committee.
He said the 15-minute firefight occurred in Barangay Colasi, Mercedes.
The operation was conducted by the 902nd Infantry Brigade with support from other Army units and the Philippine National Police.
Roldan said the encounter resulted from strengthened intelligence monitoring. He claimed the rebel leader had refused government offers to surrender despite calls to lay down arms.
The 9th ID vowed intensified operations across the region and urged remaining NPA members to surrender.
"The encounter resulted from strengthened intelligence monitoring?" What are they doing different now?
The clash in Mindoro continues to receive scrutiny and the Army says they welcome it.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2180632/army-welcomes-fact-finding-missions-in-mindoro-after-npa-clashes |
The Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry Division (2nd ID) on Wednesday said it is open to legitimate fact-finding missions in the town of Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro, following recent encounters between government forces and communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in the area.
“We welcome legitimate fact-finding missions by civil society groups that follow proper procedures and engage openly with local authorities. These initiatives contribute to a clearer and more truthful understanding of what transpired on the ground,” Col. Michael Aquino, 2nd ID public information officer, said in a statement sent to the Inquirer.
Aquino said representatives from the academe, young professionals, the Hands Off Our Children Movement, and Buklod Kapayapaan Federation Inc. have already conducted fact-finding visits in Abra de Ilog.
He noted that the groups “formally requested permission, complied with established protocols, and conducted courtesy calls with local government units and concerned agencies before entering affected communities.”
Aquino said one of the fact-finding teams accompanied the brother of a slain NPA amazona to the area where her remains were recovered and personally verified the circumstances surrounding her death.
The 2nd ID, he added, remains open to additional fact-finding initiatives and continues to support transparent processes anchored on facts and accountability.
“The 2nd Infantry Division remains steadfast in its duty to safeguard local communities, protect civilians, and support lawful humanitarian and fact-finding efforts. We encourage continued engagement anchored on truth, respect for due process, and genuine concern for the welfare of affected communities,” Aquino said.
The military also reported that humanitarian and community-based activities, led by local government units in coordination with community leaders, were conducted in the area to address residents’ needs following a series of armed encounters early last month.The clashes began on New Year’s Day after residents reported the presence of armed NPA members in Abra de Ilog. The Army said a suspected NPA rebel was killed during the encounters, while two government soldiers were wounded.
Filipino-American activist Chantal Anicoche, who was reportedly with the NPA group but was left behind, was found on Jan. 8 hiding in a hole near the encounter site.
After allegedly going eight days without food and water, Anicoche was immediately brought to the military hospital at Camp Capinpin for medical treatment.
The Army said Anicoche executed an affidavit in the presence of an independent lawyer from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, stating that her stay at the military hospital was voluntary and free from force or intimidation.
On Jan. 30, after completing her medical treatment, Anicoche left for the United States following a reunion with her mother.
Of course they only accept "legitimate fact-finding missions by civil society groups that follow proper procedures and engage openly with local authorities." Whatever that means. Funny that they refer to a female NPA who died as an Amazona. Is that sexist?
The government has encouraged communicators to counter Red disinfomration.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1268436 |
A ranking National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) official on Thursday called on all "public and government peace communicators" to help combat ongoing disinformation campaigns of the communist insurgents and their allies in Metro Manila.
"We call on the public and all government peace communicators to commit—fully and unequivocally—to this effort. Through disciplined execution, unified messaging, and active public participation, we can cultivate informed, resilient, and peace-oriented communities," NTF-ELCAC executive director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. said in a statement.
He said Metro Manila, also known as the National Capital Region (NCR), has long been a "critical theater" in the government’s campaign against the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF).
“As the political, economic, and information hub of the country, NCR is deliberately targeted as a primary battleground for propaganda and psychological operations,” the NTF-ELCAC official added.
He also pointed to the extensive use of digital platforms and social media ecosystems to sow distrust, distort realities and agitate the public against the government.
The NTF-ELCAC official made this call amid a recent surge of coordinated online activity — largely driven by NCR-based front organizations — that reflects a strategic recalibration by the communist movement as insurgents steadily losing ground in the provinces.
“This is not a display of strength. It is a manifestation of desperation,” he said.
Torres stressed that the information domain has become a decisive front in the post-conflict phase, warning that terrorist-grooming, disinformation, misinformation, hate speech, and calculated falsehoods pose a direct threat to hard-earned peace gains.
“Countering these narratives is no longer optional — it is a shared responsibility... We are called upon not merely to communicate, but to become deliberate communicators of peace, grounded in truth, credibility, and public service,” Torres said.
He emphasized that current communication efforts are anchored on the National Action Plan on Unity, Peace, and Development (NAP-UPD) 2025–2028, which adopts a whole-of-nation and whole-of-society approach to addressing the root causes of armed conflict, sustaining peace gains and strengthening community resilience.
Within this framework, Torres outlined three key priorities for peace communication.
First is unifying the peace constituency across sectors through consistent, values-driven messaging aligned with the NAP-UPD message house.
Second is proactive narrative-building that highlights peace dividends, best practices and concrete results of whole-of-government and whole-of-society efforts.
Third is the intensification of digital engagement, particularly among the youth, through partnerships with schools, universities, youth organizations and online communities.
But they are also calling on the public too. "It is a shared responsibility." Basically it means combating the social media sphere with an even livelier meme ware.
300 children of ex-RPA rebels are now receiving educational aid.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1268864 |
The Negros Occidental provincial government has extended educational assistance worth PHP1.5 million to 300 students, who are children of former breakaway rebels and now members of the Kapatiran para sa Progresong Panlipunan (Kapatiran).
Negros Occidental Scholarship Program division head Karen Dinsay said on Wednesday each grantee received PHP5,000, covering the school year 2025-2026.
“This is now the third year of the province’s next-of-kin educational assistance to Kapatiran students since it started in 2023,” she said in an interview.
Of the 300 grantees, 221 are college students while 79 are in senior high school.
They are members of the Kapatiran next-of-kin chapters in the cities of Kabankalan, San Carlos, Cadiz and Bago as well as the municipalities of Cauayan, E.B. Magalona and La Castellana.
In 2023, the provincial government initially allocated PHP1 million for 200 grantees while in 2024, the budget allocation was increased to benefit 250 grantees.
By 2025, the program expanded further with an additional 50 slots for a total of 300 grantees.
This school year, 35 college student-grantees are set graduate, following the 25 others who already finished college in the previous school year.
The 300 grantees received the educational assistance in a ceremony led by Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson at the Provincial Capitol Social Hall here on Tuesday.
“Lasting peace and order in the province can only be achieved through unity and collective action, with government, communities, and all sectors working together,” Lacson said, adding that “cooperation and shared responsibility are vital in building a safe and progressive province”.
The distribution of educational assistance was also attended by Fifth District Board Member Rita Gatuslao, chair of the Provincial Board’s education committee; Director Susana Guadalupe Marcaida, co-chair of the Joint Enforcement and Monitoring Committee (JEMC) under the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity; Col. Victor Llapitan, deputy commander of the Philippine Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade; and Veronica Tabara, co-chair of the JEMC.
The next-of-kin educational assistance program is one of the government’s key initiatives that underscores its strong commitment to providing timely and appropriate interventions for Kapatiran beneficiaries in Negros Occidental.
“The whole of Kapatiran continue to be very grateful for the consistent, sincere, and genuine support to the Kapatiran transformation,” Tabara said. “It is our ardent hope and prayer in our hearts na ito’ng pagtutulungan natin na tulad nitong magandang gawa, ay patuloy na makapag-inspire at strengthen sa lahat sa atin para sa ating commitment para sa kapayapaan.”
The name Kapatiran was assumed by the Tabara-Paduano Group of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB), a breakaway armed group of the New People’s Army, as part of its institutional transformation under the clarificatory implementing document to the peace agreement it signed with the national government.
Most of these recipients are in college. Are peaceful law abiding students receiving the same or must they pay their way? Don't forget the ranks of many terror groups are full of highly educated people. Che Guevara was a doctor, for instance. Education is good but it is not a cure-all for the problems faced by the people.
