Insurgency: Light At The End of The Tunnel

 More year end assessments from the AFP about the current status and future of the conflict.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1125403

In his speech at the AFP's 85th founding anniversary Monday night, AFP chief-of-staff Gen. Gilbert Gapay said the military has "significantly degraded" the armed capabilities of the Communist Party of the Philippines' armed wing, the New People's Army, and other local terror groups such as the Abu Sayyaf Group, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and Dawlah Islamiya-affiliated groups.

"Their manpower, firepower and mass-based support are on the decline. They are experiencing leadership vacuum and their recruitment and extortion activities were neglected as well," Gapay said.

He said this could be seen as "light at the end of the tunnel" as he expressed confidence that internal armed conflicts would soon be put to rest before the end of President Rodrigo Duterte's term in 2022.

He also cited the acquisition of several modern military equipment as part of the modernization efforts this year.

"I am proud to report that with these equipment, we have once again established effective pressure on WPS (West Philippine Sea) in asserting our sovereignty," he added.

Extortion activités are neglected? Not in Mindanao it seems.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1125414

In an interview Tuesday, Licudine cited the 402Bde data showing that from 2010 to date, the rebels had killed 166 government troopers and 113 civilians in Caraga Region.

“We capacitate these terrorists to kill more government troopers, workers, and innocent civilians by giving them funds through their extortion activities,” Licudine said.

The Army official’s call came after 16 business owners belonging to the Butuan City Chamber of Commerce (BCCC) and Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce Association Incorporated (FCCCAI) pledged their commitment on Dec. 17 to stop paying the revolutionary taxes being demanded by the NPA.

In July this year, at least 25 contractors and construction firms in the region also pledged not to give in to the rebels' extortion activities.

Licudine said that based on the brigade's information, the NPA collects around PHP15,000 to PHP20,000 a month from different business establishments in this city alone.

“In our estimate, the NPA rebels collect around PHP9.3 million every year in Butuan City alone. This amount of money is a big contribution for the NPA to grow their strength and sustain their terroristic activities in the area,” Licudine said.

He said former NPA rebels have also provided vital information on the scope of the rebels' extortion activities.

One of the surrenderers, he said, was Lynlyn (name withheld for security reasons), who worked as a revolutionary tax collector for the NPA's Guerrilla Front 21.

Licudine said the surrender of Lynlyn sometime in June this year was a fatal blow to the extortion activities of the guerilla unit, led by its finance officer identified as Jelan Pinakilid.

The surrender of Lynlyn can't be that fatal of a blow if they are calling for the business sector to stop paying NPA extortion taxes. P9.3 million being collected every year in just one city is not small change. What did the AFP say last year? Extortion fuels the NPA.

https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2019/12/03/extortion-fuels-npa-says-afp/

Northern Samar province remains a favorite “milking cow” of the communist New People’s Army (NPA), which allegedly rakes in hundreds of millions of pesos through extortion, the Philippine Army disclosed yesterday. 

He said the NPA collects millions of pesos from contractors of infrastructure projects; a percentage of the IRA of barangays under its influence; fees from sand and gravel operations, as well as in land grabbing, which the rebel group calls “agrarian revolution.” 

“In Northern Samar, for example, that line from Palapag to Lapinig — that is 45.7 kilometers, and based on our computation, they (NPA) earned P160 million (from there),” Bitong told the media in a recent conference referring to a foreign-funded road project. 

According to Bitong, the NPA in Northern Samar is collecting huge amounts of money from the private contractors of government infrastructure projects. 

“Normally they would be asked 10 percent and the contractor would bargain and negotiate until it goes down to three percent, and would agree and settle for one percent,” Bitong said.

“But if you compute the billions of pesos of infrastructure projects in Leyte and Samar, this would amount to millions of pesos. So, that is the reason why they are here. We are actually very generous in giving them fuel for their revolution,” he added.

Hundreds of millions of pesos in extortion fees are collected by the NPA just in Northern Samar alone. Just two weeks ago DND Secretary Lorenzana said the NPA was raking in billions each year.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1371341/lorenzana-npa-rebels-amass-p-1b-yearly-from-extortion

Lorenzana told reporters in a message that the information was gathered by the intelligence community and that he saw a report in 2017 stating that the Communist Party of the Philippines’ armed wing New People’s Army (NPA) amassed P1 billion that year from harassment and extortion.

He pointed out that there was a concentration of NPA members in western Mindanao because of the large projects and companies there.

“Most of the mining, huge banana plantations are in western Mindanao. Add the telecommunications companies and the government projects being done by private contractors and the amount extorted is huge. That is the main source of their financing,” Lorenzana said.

It's surprising that Lorenzana is obliquely accusing the telecoms of playing NPA taxes when both Globe and PLDT have denied those reports. Does this mean he will be calling them to account?

This week the CPP celebrated their 52nd anniversary.  Gen' Gapay publicly thanked the coronavirus for putting a damper on the festivities.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2020/12/22/news/latest-stories/gapay-thanks-covid-for-putting-damper-on-cpp-anniversary/815734/

“THANKS” to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), members and supporters of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) won’t be able to celebrate its 52nd founding anniversary on December 26, Gen. Gilbert Gapay, Armed Forces chief, said on Tuesday.

“Dati kasi, ‘yung mga rally-rally nila, hindi na nila magawa ‘yan (They used to have these rallies before but which they can no longer do now), thanks to Covid,” the military chief told reporters at a virtual yearend press briefing.

Gapay also said that members of the CPP were “really dwindling”, which meant that they lacked members who could go out on the streets to commemorate the group’s anniversary, forcing them to go to social media instead.

“All of these activities are being monitored and usually, they celebrate their anniversary, every December 26, with a large meeting they call it plenum. I don’t think they would have one this year,” he said.

Gapay said the CPP plenum would normally be held in an undisclosed location but for this year, he confidently said there was no monitored activity and “we will not allow them to have one, really.”

Indeed while the CPP said they would hold small, clandestine activities to mark the occasion in Agusan Norte 32 NPA decided to surrender and the AFP killed 10 rebels in Sultan Kudarat.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1376225/10-suspected-npa-rebels-killed-as-army-thwarts-holding-of-cpp-anniversary-rites-in-sultan-kudarat

At least 10 suspected communist rebels were killed when the military launched air and ground assaults in Palimbang town, Sultan Kudarat on Christmas Day in a bid to thwart the holding of rites to mark the 52nd founding anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said airstrikes and artillery offensives were first launched after about 200 New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas were confirmed to be massing in the village of Namat Masla, near Mt. Lumuton, in Palimbang in preparation for Saturday’s CPP anniversary.

At least eight rebels were killed, seven of whom were identified by villagers as Abner Sanchez, Marco Santos, Efren Lantip, Samuel Orinday, Ruben Alferez, Marcial Tenor and Jaime Zapata, Uy added.

As ground troops scoured the area, they clashed with the rebels before overrunning a camp, also in the village of Namat Masla. The troops also found two dead bodies of suspected NPA guerrillas, raising the death toll to 10.

Air and ground assaults. They don't air assaults often so this is a rare treat for onlookers.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/769408/npa-squad-killed-in-sultan-kudarat-smart-bomb-strike-military/story/

A squad of communist New People’s Army (NPA) gunmen were killed on Friday, Christmas Day, after a base camp in Sultan Kudarat’s Daguma Mountain Range was hit by a GPS-guided smart bomb dropped by a Philippine Air Force FA-50 jet.

According to Major General Juvymax Uy, commander of Joint-Task Force Central’s 6th Division, residents and local officials had informed the military of the NPA Far South Regional Committee's movements in the area ahead of the Communist Party of the Philippines' 52nd anniversary on December 26th.

Perhaps the Army and the Air Force can coordinate like this more often. It could scare them into surrendering which is what the AFP wants. They want to give every terrorist free money and housing and job training so they can get back into society.  Even Duterte wants them to surrender to avail of free housing and more.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1125753

Sinasabi ko lang hinto na kayo. Mag-surrender na kayo kasi walang ginawa ‘yang mga lider ninyo (I’m just saying, surrender because your leaders are not doing anything anymore). It’s plain banditry,” he said.

Duterte said communist rebels are no different from the terrorist organization Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) that carries out terrorist attacks like kidnappings and bombings.

“Pareho talaga kayo ng Abu Sayyaf. No different. Ako pa sa inyo mag-merge na lang. Totoo iyan (You’re just like Abu Sayyaf. No different. If I were you, I would merge with them. That’s true)…You want money to come to your hands through or by virtue of the blood and tears of other Filipinos. Sinisira ninyo ang bayan (You’re destroying the nation),” he said.

Duterte said that while communist rebels extorted millions from big businesses and corporations, their leaders live lavish lifestyles and send their children to study overseas.

He vowed that the government would provide all kinds of assistance to those who surrender, including housing, livelihood, and education for their children

“Sumurender na kayo. Ako, ‘pag nag-surrender kayo, bahay. Mayroong mga condo na ginagawa ko sa probinsiya, ‘pag nag-surrenderkayo sabi ko na sa sundalo -- para kanila 'yon eh -- sabi ko, ‘Bata, pasensiya ka na, ibigay na lang natin dito para madali angpacification campaign (Just surrender. If you surrender, you’ll get a house. There are condos being built in the provinces, if you surrender, since those are for them, I’ll say, ‘Apologies, but I’ll give them to you to speed up the pacification campaign),” he said.

Duterte also reiterated his promise to include them in the government’s mass vaccination campaign once the vaccine for Covid-19 becomes available in the country.

“The vaccine is available to every Filipino citizen, including the Communist NPAs so that you can fight better and you are healthy because I know that you will die,” he said.

Every NPA fighter who surrenders will get al kinds of freebies from the government. It doesn't matter if you are a notorious kidnapper who kidnapped 21 tourists and 12 Filipino evangelists two decades ago.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1125649

An Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandit involved in the Sipadan mass kidnapping 20 years ago has surrendered to government authorities in the province of Tawi-Tawi, military officials announced Friday.

Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr., commander of the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), identified the ASG surrenderer as Barri Lakibol, 44, who carries the aliases of Barley Badeng, Otoh Itom, and Robin.

Vinluan said Lakibol surrendered and turned over a US-made M-14 rifle with ammunition Wednesday at the headquarters of the Marine Battalion Landing Team-12 (MBLT-12) led by Lt. Col. Henry Espinosa in Barangay Nalil, Bongao, the capital of Tawi-Tawi province.

Vinluan said Lakibol was recruited by the late Sulu-based ASG leader Ghalib Andang alias Commander Robot in January 2000 and was involved in the Sipadan mass kidnapping in the same year.

The ASG bandits seized 21 people, mostly European tourists, from the dive resort island of Sipadan, Malaysia on April 23, 2000 and herded them to the province of Sulu.

The hostages were freed in batches after alleged payment of a huge amount of ransom.

Vinluan said Lakibol was also involved in the kidnapping of 12 Filipino evangelists led by Pastor Wilde Almeda, whose group went to the ASG lair for prayer healing and to comfort the hostages taken from Sipadan dive resort.

He said during the debriefing, Lakibol revealed that he left the ASG in 2006 due to the intensified offensives launched by the military, which resulted in the neutralization of prominent ASG personalities in the province of Sulu.

Col. Arturo Rojas, Joint Task Force Tawi-Tawi commander, said Lakibol will be turned over to the municipal government of Bongao for his enrolment to the reintegration programs of the government.

Again we have another man who will never face justice for his crimes. There will be many more.

What's the best way to end the year? How about with the CPP-NPA finally being designated as a terrorist group.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/26/20/anti-terrorism-council-tags-cpp-npa-islamic-state-east-asia-maute-and-associated-groups-as-terrorists

The Anti-Terrorism Council has begun the controversial process of designating who may be considered by authorities as “terrorists” and “terrorist groups” under the new Anti-Terror law, which may have implications on freezing of assets.

This follows five months since the controversial Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 was signed into law, despite heavy opposition from various groups over concerns it could lead to human rights violations.

In 2 separate resolutions approved on December 9, the ATC designated the following as “terrorist organizations, associations, and/or groups:”

• Communist Party of the Philippines
• New People’s Army / Bagong Hukbong Bayan
• Islamic State in Iraq and Syria in South-East Asia
• Dawlatul Islamiyah Waliyatul Masrik
• Dawlatul Islamiyyah Waliyatul Mashriq
• IS East Asia Division
• Maute Group
• Islamic State East Asia
• Maute ISIS
• Grupong ISIS
• Grupo ISIS
• Khilafah Islamiyah
• KIM
• Ansharul Khilafah
• Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters-Bungos
• Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters-Abubakar
• Jama’atu al-Muhajirin wal Ansar fil Filibin
• Daulah Islamiyah
• other Daesh-affiliated groups in the Philippines

An interesting list to be sure.  Most interesting are three notable exemptions: the MNLF, MILF, and Abu Sayyaf.  Of course Abu Sayyaf was declared a terrorist group back in 2015 but the exclusion of MILF and MNLF is completely political in nature as the MILF now runs a huge portion of Mindanao and Duterte is anxious to give MNLF founder Nur Misuari the island of Sulu or some other territory in the name of peace. That does not mean the MILF and the MNLF are not terrorist groups.  

The next step is up to the Anti-Money Laundering Council.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1376432/govt-moves-to-plug-cpp-npa-fund-sources

Justice Undersecretary Adrian Sugay on Saturday said the ATC’s Dec. 9 resolution would allow the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to freeze the bank deposits and other assets of the CPP and the NPA, which has been fighting one of Asia’s longest-running insurgencies.

“The next step is for the AMLC to proceed with its powers under [the law] regarding the freezing of assets and run after the bank accounts [of the CPP-NPA],” Sugay told the Inquirer in a phone interview.

He was referring to Sections 35 and 36 of Republic Act No. 11479, or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, which authorized the AMLC to scrutinize the finances of organizations or groups of individuals that the ATC had labeled as terrorists.

Since it is improbable for the CPP-NPA to open accounts in their names, the government will have to target their alleged members or supporters to slow down if not entirely stop the flow of funds to the rebel movement.

We shall see how effective this designation is in eradicating this group in the next year.