Insurgency: Eradicate the NPA

 It's a new year and with it come the same old promises.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1126631

“The JEMPO TF in Negros Island will continue to hunt down the remaining terrorists in the area to finally eradicate them and prevent them from plaguing not only Negros Provinces but the whole country, as well,” Army Col. Leonardo Peña was quoted in a statement from the Philippine Army released Thursday morning.

“With a fresh start for 2021, we will not just hit them; but we will hit them hard for the protection of the Filipino people whom we are serving,” Vinoya added.

The AFP is reporting successes in the fight against the NPA not only in Negros but also in Mindanao.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1381734/military-cites-significant-gains-in-bid-to-crush-npa-in-w-mindanao

The military says it is on track in the campaign to destroy the strongholds of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) in Western Mindanao, citing anti-insurgency gains in 2020.

Maj. Gen. Generoso Ponio, commander of the Philippine Army’s 1st Infantry Division, said NPA’s influence and strength in the region has been reduced to half due to its intensified campaign in 2020.

“Due to the dismantling of NPA units, the military is hopeful the rebel group can be fully eliminated or reduced to insignificant manpower by 2022,” Ponio told the Inquirer.

In 2019, according to Nicolas, the NPA in the region had 192 fighters with 168 firearms. By the end of 2020, this was down to only 84 fighters with 78 firearms, he said.

Nicolas added that of the nine guerrilla units, only two that operate in Misamis Occidental and parts of Zamboanga del Norte have remained active, holding out in the adjoining forested mountains in the two provinces. 

The Army’s estimate of the NPA strength is based on intelligence and post-battle reports as well as the number of rebels who surrendered.

Nicolas attributed the successful military operations against the NPA to former rebels who shared information about guerrilla hideouts and places where arms caches and ammunition were kept.

The military particularly hailed the dismantling of the regional guerrilla units which, Nicolas said, were responsible for imposing the NPA’s so-called revolutionary taxation among target firms and individuals.

The self-imposed date to defeat the NPA by 2022 is fast approaching as Duterte's term comes to its inevitable close. Even though the AFP is determined to defeat the NPA and the Muslim terrorists and claim that there ranks have been diminished both groups are gearing up for war. The BIFF has been particularly active lately.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1380498/1300-families-flee-as-biff-men-attack-maguindanao

Attacks launched by the Islamic State-linked Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in at least two towns in Maguindanao province since last month have displaced at least 1,300 families, military reports said.

The latest incursion on Dec. 31, 2020, forced almost 600 families to leave their homes and communities in South Upi town. While no one was reported hurt, the armed men burned 13 houses of indigenous peoples (IPs) in the village of Itaw.

Land conflict has been blamed for the violence that mostly displaced members of the Teduray tribe in South Upi.

“The BIFF wanted to grab the ancestral lands of IPs there, especially in Barangay Itaw,” said Lt. Col. Anhouvic Atilano, spokesperson for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) 6th Infantry Division.

Why would the BIFF want to take land? Could it have anything to do with the Muslims' claim of Ancestral Domain in Mindanao? Whatever the case maybe it's a fact that the BIFF is not letting up. Remember they felt confident enough to attack a police station last year. Even though the were repelled by the PNP they put up a fight and showed that they are not backing down. Last week they attacked a relief convoy.

https://www.kalinawnews.com/6th-infantry-division-orders-pursuit-operation-on-biff-who-ambush-mayors-convoy-in-maguindanao/

A massive pursuit operation was conducted by the troops of 57th Infantry Battalion against the members of Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) who ambushed relief workers in a convoy at Sitio Sucob, Barangay Pandan, South Upi, Maguindanao last January 3, 2021.

The incident resulted to the death of Thelmo Sase, 22 years old and wounding of four other civilians identified as John Andrew Tumbaga, 30 years old; Ernesto Bebang, 50 years old; Christian King Sase, 22 years old and Leonard Betita, 23 years old.

Major General Juvymax R. Uy, Commander of 6th Infantry (KAMPILAN) Division and JTF Central immediately ordered the troops to secure the civilians and pursue the armed groups.

“The convoy of Mayor Reynalbert Insular of South Upi, was ambushed by BIFF at about 2:15 pm at Brgy. Pandan while on their way to Poblacion, South Upi from Barangay Itaw all of the same Municipality. Mayor Insular came from Brgy Itaw for the conduct of relief operations for families displaced due to harassment  of BIFF last December 31, 2020 ”,  Maj. Gen. Uy, said.

A little irony there as the BIFF attacked a convoy that was bringing relief supplies to a village shish was attacked by the BIFF. It seems the BIFF is at it again with IED's as well.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1126364

Patrolling government troops found an improvised explosive device (IED) aimed at state forces running after local terrorists in Ampatuan, Maguindanao, the Philippine Army’s 6th Infantry Division (6ID) here announced Tuesday.

Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy, Army’s 6ID commander, said soldiers belonging to the 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion (1MIB) were conducting clearing operations when they discovered an IED made from 105mm projectile in Barangay Salman on Monday afternoon.

The AFP does not say but that is likely a BIFF bomb as the AFP has dismantled their bomb-making factories in the past. It owed be foolish to think that the BIFF has stopped making bombs just because one factory was busted. IED's are their modus operandi.

The NPA is also gearing up with the activation of assassin squads. The AFP says these units violate human rights.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1126485

Col. Joel Alejandro Nacnac, chief of the AFP Human Rights Office, said with the use of such partisan units, the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People's Army (CPP-NPA) shows it would target anyone who stands up against them.

"(This group wants to target and kill those they suspect of opposing the CPP-NPA-NDF, such as government employees, soldiers, police officers, and other government employees, as well as civilians, those in the villages and others who are non-allies. It’s like they are sentencing them)," Nacnac said in a Laging Handa briefing.

Such actions, he said, violate several articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

"(I will list the violations of the articles of the Declaration of Human Rights one by one. First is Article 3, the right to life. Whoever is their target, if they kill him, he loses his life. The CPP-NPA-NDF clearly violates that right when they assassinate their targets),” Nacnac said.

Also violated is Article 10 of the declaration or the right of an accused to a public trial, he said.

"(They cannot enforce a kangaroo court where they have a list, a hit list, and this violates Article 10, the right to a public trial)," Nacnac said. 

This is a weird objection to bring up because the CPP-NPA certainly do not care about human rights. They care about the struggle, the revolution. That is paramount. Talking to them about human rights would be as stupid as asking them to stop being so violent as if they were gentlemen.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1126350

The chief of the legal cooperation cluster of the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) has called on the communist terrorist group (CTG) Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) to “stop the culture of violence”.

Prosecutor Flosemer Chris Gonzales, in a press conference held at the Camp Martin Delgado here on Monday, called out an article that appeared at the kodao.org with the CPP calling for the NPA to “avenge tumandok 9”.

Tumandok 9 refers to the nine casualties in Tapaz, Capiz during legitimate police operations held last December 30.

“To avenge is a very strong word. 'Yan (That's) actually telling the NPA to kill the police,” he said.

Those 9 men refer to a group of people targeted by the PNP last year and killed during an operation.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1126021

Nine persons died while 17 others believed to be members of the communist terrorist group (CTG) New People’s Army (NPA) were arrested following simultaneous joint operations conducted by the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) and the Criminal Investigation (CIDG) in Tapaz, Capiz and in Calinog, Iloilo on Wednesday.

The operations were meant to carry out 28 search warrants, said CIDG Western Visayas chief Lt. Col. Gervacio Balmaceda in a press conference held in Tapaz municipal police station and carried live through Facebook by several local radio stations. 

“They were alleged as members of the CTGs based on information gathered in the area even before the application of the search warrants. They were in possession of firearms in the area,” he added.

He said that based on the initial reports of their team leaders on the ground, the suspects, who were subjects of the search warrants, fired at the law enforcement teams.

Operations by the AFP were carried out against alleged members of the NPA's assassination squad this week.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1126575

“We can now confirm that the five NPA members killed in Barangay San Juan, Baras, Rizal were part of a death squad that was supposed to carry out the directive of Joma Sison to assassinate government and civilian leaders,” DILG Secretary Eduardo Año, who himself is one of the targets of the NPA, said in a news release.

“(This prevention of NPA operations is a victory especially that this is direct threat to the lives of the country's leaders and civilians),” he added.

These men were ratted out by their own.

Informants within the rebel group and among the residents led the authorities to a concrete house in Baras, where the shootout occurred after the people inside the house reportedly “opened fire,” said Army Captain Jayrald Ternio in a Viber message.

Ternio said government troops retaliated, killing all five people.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1372965/5-alleged-npa-rebels-slain-in-rizal-shootout

Killing NPA members is certainly one way to get rid of them. Maybe the best as it saves a lot of money because if they had surrendered then they could avail of all the free programs such as the 204 who recently renounced all connections with the NPA.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1126795

At least 204 former rebels and supporters from Calinog, Iloilo and Tapaz, Capiz on Friday joined the "VOLTing in for Peace" to signify their official withdrawal of support to the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA).

The Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) facilitated the peace activity to cater to members or supporters of the communist terrorist group (CTG) who voluntarily surrendered to the government after the simultaneous serving of search warrants in those areas on Dec. 30, 2020.

“The activity earlier is the formalization of their withdrawal of support to the CPP-NPA and their show of support to the government,” said Associate Provincial Prosecutor Flosemer Chris I. Gonzales, chair of the legal cooperation cluster of the RTF-ELCAC in an interview.

Some of them are NPA surrenderers while most are supporters, he added.

“We would like to put on record that these people were not forced to submit themselves to the Army. They voluntarily went to the 12th IB (Infantry Battalion) headquarters in Barangay Libut, Calinog,” he said.

"Some of them are NPA surrenderers while most are supporters, he added." That's how it goes. Most of these surredereees are not actual NPA fighters but just their support group. It's not that that is insignificant but it skews the numbers because the AFP does not differentiate in there public reports. So the public will hear the that thousands of NPA have surrendered when the truth is its mostly supporters and not actual fighters. And then we are left with the question of, "If so many are surrendering then why is the NPA still a major threat?"

We all know how the NPA works. They extort money from businesses and politicians and if no money is paid they engage in destructive activities such as lighting machinery on fire.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1381261/afp-citing-its-data-says-civilian-property-destroyed-in-532-npa-attacks-since-2010

The New People’s Army (NPA) destroyed civilian property in at least 532 attacks since 2010, according to the military.

Most of the cases were arson, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said, citing its data.

A record of these had been submitted by the AFP Human Rights Office to the Commission on Human Rights on Thursday (Jan. 7), the AFP said.

In a statement released on Friday (Jan. 8), the AFP said data collected by the military’s human rights office “from field units provided a factual and verifiable basis for the report.”

The military said it expected the numbers to rise as it continues its inquiry and reports on communist rebel activities.

The destruction by NPA of civilian property was the rebels’ display of “a nationwide pattern of organized, continuing and systematic scheme as part of their violent struggle,” said Col. Jose Alejandro Nacnac, who heads the human rights office of the AFP.

NPA had attacked mining and logging companies in the past and burned heavy equipment being used to extract mineral ore or transport felled trees in what guerrillas had described as ancestral domain of indigenous peoples.

Heavy equipment and trucks being used for road construction projects had also been burned by rebels.

Bizarrely enough the NPA says they repaid their victims and that the AFP should have submitted this information the NDFP and not the CHR.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/771061/cpp-defends-destruction-of-civilian-properties-says-it-paid-for-damage/story/

The Communist Party of the Philippines on Saturday admitted that its operatives had destroyed civilian properties to enforce CPP's laws in protecting the environment, but it said the aggrieved owners were compensated.

“As regards civilian property destroyed or damaged in the course of an NPA (New People’s Army) military action, as a rule, the NPA always remunerates the owner,” CPP information officer Marco L. Valbuena said.

“In mounting military offensives, the NPA always ensures that no civilian will be hurt or no civilian property will be damaged. Those who suffered damage are compensated,” Valbuena said.

Further, it said that the incident list was submitted by the AFP Human Rights Office (AFP HRO) to the Commission on Human Rights on January 7, the military said.

But the CPP downplayed the AFP’s submission to the CHR as the body does not have jurisdiction over the communist groups.

“It would have been better if the AFP submitted their complaints to the NDFP section of the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC), which is tasked to monitor violations of the GRP-NDFP Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL),” Valbuena said.

“Complaints filed before the JMC can be acted upon by the NDFP and the CPP-NPA,” he added.

It is ridiculous to think the NPA cares about human rights and it is equally ridiculous to think they would listen to complaints submitted by the AFP to the NDFP. Equally silly is the NPA's claim that they repay the businesses whose equipment they damage.  Why would they do that? How can they do that?  Where does their money come from?  Perhaps it is related to the party-list system.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1380994/duterte-wants-party-list-system-scrapped

According to Sotto, the President suggested in a meeting with leaders of both houses of Congress and the military in November that the Senate and the House of Representatives convene to amend the constitutional provision on sectoral representation through the party list system.

He stressed, however, that the terms of office of elected officials would not be touched in the planned Charter charge (Cha-cha).

Quoting the President, Sotto said: “I want this problem with the CPP-NPA (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army) solved. The best way is that we remove the party list system, or change it in the constitution so we can call for a constituent assembly and amend that.”

“You may then take advantage of the opportunity to amend the economic provisions,” the Senate President said, still quoting Mr. Duterte.

The date for charter change deliberation is set for January 13th.  In the meantime the AFP continues the hard, steady work of eliminating the NPA.

https://www.kalinawnews.com/army-continues-operations-against-the-weakening-npa/

According to Lt. Col Aristotle F Antonio, Acting Commanding Officer of 29IB, “We knew very well that these NPAs have slowly been decreasing in strength and number and we will continue our intensified operations until they are decimated. We know that the time is already nigh for all of our wayward brothers. And so, our clarion call for all of you remains the same: Surrender now before it becomes too late.

"My troops and I will continue to welcome those of you who will choose to surrender. So, come down now and start a new bright year with your family. They are all waiting for you to come back to the fold. Don’t worry, we will help you,” Antonio assured.

We shall see just how weakened the NPA is as the year progresses.