Monday, March 15, 2021

Insurgency: SIPS

As always there is a lot of stuff happening as regards the insurgency this week. The old mill keeps turning. Batangas has now been declared insurgency free.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1133206

The Philippine Army's 2nd Infantry Division (2ID) has declared the province of Batangas as now free from communist insurgency.

Maj. Gen. Greg Almerol, 2ID commander, made the announcement during the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) declaring the province as an area with "stable internal peace and security", between ranking military and provincial government officials held at the Provincial Capitol on Wednesday.

Almerol and Governor Hermilando Mandanas signed the MOA in the presence of members of the Provincial Peace and Order Council, mayors, officials of government agencies in the province, and military and police commanders.

Almerol said the province has already met the parameters set under the Armed Forces of the Philippines' phases of normalization, specifically the absence of recorded New People's Army (NPA) violent activities for at least one year.

The ceremony also highlighted the presentation of surrendered firearms and distribution of food packs to seven former rebels who were earlier granted monetary support amounting to PHP455,000, as well as medical services among other benefits under the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).

"The government’s desire to end insurgency through the Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict or PTF-ELCAC of Batangas made the impossible possible for the people we have sworn to serve," he said.

Almerol also expressed hope that Batangas would now be able to further enhance its commercial viability, tourism, and other development opportunities that would benefit the people.

Batangas is the fifth province in the 2ID's area of responsibility to be declared as having stable internal peace and security, after the provinces of Cavite, Romblon, Marinduque, and Laguna.

The Manila Times provides the dates when the other provinces were declared insurgency free.

Batangas became the fifth province in the 2nd ID’s area of responsibility to be declared as SIPS after Cavite on December 4, 2018, Romblon on February 21, 2019, Marinduque on March 25, 2019 and Laguna on September 26, 2019.

The thing is though that all of those provinces were already declared insurgency free years ago in 2014.

To date, 34 provinces in various regions have been declared free from communist influence. 

These are Biliran, Guimaras, Siquijor, La Union, Nueva Vizcaya, Romblon, Bohol, Apayao, Aurora, Cebu, Quirino, Tarlac, Cavite, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Marinduque, Misamis Oriental, Camiguin, Kalinga, Southern Leyte, South Cotabato, Northern Leyte, Benguet, Aklan, Sarangani, Antique, Eastern Samar, Davao Oriental, Ilocos Sur, Batangas, Laguna, Batanes, Bulacan, and Pampanga. 

http://retiredanalyst.blogspot.com/2014/01/decline-in-insurgency-threat-in.html

The article that blog links to which lists all the provinces the AFP had once declared insurgency free is no longer online but other news items from the same time say the same thing except for naming each province.

The Northern Luzon Command said other provinces in Regions 1,2,3 and Cordillera were declared rebel-free between 2009 and 2013:  La Union and Nueva Viscaya in 2009; Apayao, Aurora, Quirino, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan and Kalinga in 2010; Ilocos Norte and Benguet in 2011; Zambales, Abra and Bataan in 2012; and Batanes, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, Cagayan, Ifugao, Bulacan and Mt. Province in 2013.  

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2014/01/16/1279535/military-says-northern-luzon-insurgency-free

In Romblon's case the province was declared insurgency free in 2009 and the AFP handed security operations over to local government and the PNP.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/regions/12/17/09/romblon-govt-takes-over-counter-insurgency-ops

“Per our assessment, the province is insurgency free, meaning it is now the ownership of the peace and order council as to the maintenance of the peace and order in the area. With this turn over or handover, the Philippine National Police will now  play a more active role in maintaining peace and order in their area,” Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner, Armed Forces public affairs office chief, said. 

Brawner said the Southern Luzon Command Lt. Gen. Roland Detabali and 2nd Infantry Division chief Maj. Gen. Jorge Segovia led the turnover to Gov. Natalio Belbran following the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement.

He said soldiers will remain in the area to play a support role to the PNP in the anti-insurgency campaign. He added that the soldiers will also help in intelligence gathering, maintenance or supervision of Cafgus; and security of vital installations. 

For Marinduque, which was also declared insurgency free in 2009, it seems it was a matter of actually validating that status. After ten years it became official.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/689280/marinduque-declared-insurgency-free/story/

The province of Marinduque has been officially declared as an insurgency-free province and with stable internal peace and security, the third province in the country to achieve the status.

The declaration was announced on Tuesday, March 26, after a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Stable Internal Peace and Security of the Province of Marinduque was signed between the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, and the Provincial Government held in the Provincial Capitol Building in the town of Boac.

The declaration of insurgency-free province means the province is now free from the factions of CPP–NPA–NDF in the province, and is no longer a threat to peace and order.

 According to Police Regional Office director Police Brigadier General Tomas Apolinario, the last sighting of NPA factions in the province was 10 years ago.

Marinduque province was initially recommended to be declared insurgency-free in July 2009 since no insurgent activity was recorded in the province. After a series of validation conducted by different Intelligence units, the province was finally declared insurgency-free today on March 26.

Marinduque joined Cavite and Romblon, which was declared insurgency-free in 2017 and 2019, respectively, in the roster of provinces without communist rebels.

It is unclear why it would take ten years to verify the status of the insurgency in Marinduque especially when the AFP had declared NPA strength was down to zero.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/168637/npa-strength-in-marinduque-down-to-zero-afp/story/

The Philippine military on Thursday claimed that it has reduced the number of communist rebels in Marinduque province in western Philippines to zero. Armed Forces Southern Luzon Command (Solcom) chief Lt. Gen. Roland Detabali said the strength of the New People’s Army (NPA) has also been significantly downgraded in the provinces of Cavite, Laguna and Romblon. 

"Over the years, we have reduced them to zero. They no longer have activity for the past years, no reported incident," Detabali said of the NPA rebels in Marinduque. Because of this development, the AFP is now considering the insurgency problem in the province as a police matter.

If the NPA had been reduced to zero and there were no incidents over the past few years then it would seem that a formal declaration should not have taken 10 years.

The AFP says Marinduque is the third province and Batangas the fifth province in the entire nation to be declared insurgent free. But in 2014 they had declared 34 provinces to be insurgency free? So what happened? This is due to the provinces meeting AFP's new parameters for being insurgency free, specifically no NPA activity for one year. That is certainly more objective than their previous criteria.

“Insurgency-free”, according to Luga, means that they have received no more reports of armed men in the province. 
“Insignificant level. Wala na rito ang mga armed groups,” Luga said during the recent meeting of the Regional Peace and Order Council held at the Capitol Social Hall.

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2019/09/martial-law-insurgent-free.html 

The AFP has had a problem over the years of declaring an area insurgency free but then facing the fact of a resurgence of insurgents.  At the link above I outlined some of those problems. Now provinces that are insurgency free will be declared as SIPS "Stable Internal Peace and Security" area.

The NTF-ELCAC is tasked with ending the insurgency. The Senate says the man who is the spokesperson for that task force should resign.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1405504/parlade-as-active-military-officer-cant-hold-post-in-anti-communist-task-force-senate

The Senate recommended on Wednesday the removal of Army Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. as spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac), a civilian body created by the Duterte administration that has become controversial for “red-tagging” — or painting activists and government critics as supporters of the communist insurgency or terrorist groups. 

The recommendation was introduced as an amendment to the Senate national defense and security committee’s report after conducting an inquiry on the issues raised against red-tagging.


Parlade’s appointment to the post, according to the amendment adopted by the chamber, was in violation of Article 16, Section 5 of the Constitution banning any active member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) from holding a civilian position in the government.

Parlade also heads the Southern Luzon Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, making him one of the military’s key officers in the campaign against the decades-old insurgency.

That seems like a rather cut and dry reason. Paralade's inclusion on a civilian governmental body is a violation of the constitution. Ergo he must vacate the post. Parade says he will not be leaving.

Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade Jr. has no intention to resign as spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) despite the recommendation of the Senate to remove him from the post.

“Very good. Welcome ‘yan. Makes my job easier. But it’s just a recommendation and it’s the executive branch who will decide on it. It’s up to them,” Parlade said in a text message to Super Radyo dzBB’s Mark Makalalad when asked on the matter.

Parlade said he will stay in the post adding that NTF-ELCAC vice chairperson and National Security Adviser Hermogenes told him that official orders have been issued for him to remain as spokesperson.

“Of course (I will stay). In fact, the Vice Chair NTF ELCAC Sec Esperon just called to say he has issues official orders for me to remain as spox eff(ective) 1 Jan 2021,” the AFP Southern Luzon Command chief said.

Those official orders for Parlade to remain as spokesperson probably came from Duterte. If so that would mean Duterte has no problem with Parlade being on the task force and does not consider it a violation of the constitution. Defense secretary Lorenzana says the same thing.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1133282

In a Laging Handa briefing, Lorenzana said the military and the police are obliged to take the lead in the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) which was created by President Rodrigo R. Duterte's Executive 70 calling for a whole-of-nation approach in defeating the security threat posed by the local communist terrorist groups and their allies.

"The main effort is being led by the PNP and the AFP, and Gen. Parlade is part of the AFP and so his expertise is being utilized as spokesman of the NTF ELCAC so ang, wala akong nakikitang (I don't see any) violation of the Constitution," Lorenzana said.

He also added that the security forces are the primary implementers of NTF ELCAC, with other government agencies only in a supporting role.

"So kami ang nandyan (we are involved there), kung tanggalin mo yan si Gen. Parlade ay tanggalin mo na rin kami dyan sa (NTF ELCAC), yung Armed Forces. Ibig sabihin yung Armed Forces walang pakialam dyan sa NTF ELCAC (if you remove Gen. Parlade from the NTF ELCAC, then remove us too. It only means the Armed Forces does not have anything to do with the NTF ELCAC), which is not true," Lorenzana said.

Of course the NTF-ELCAC stands behind Parlade.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1133367

"The NTF ELCAC stands solidly behind Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade and rejects calls for him to step down as spokesperson of the task force," Presidential Communications Operations Office Undersecretary Lorraine Marie T. Badoy said in a statement forwarded to the Philippine News Agency Thursday.

Badoy, who is also a spokesperson of NTF ELCAC, said Sen. Panfilo Lacson's claims that the NTF ELCAC is a civilian task force is wrong.

"Senator Lacson is wrong when he says that the NTF ELCAC is a civilian task force. It is a task force that enlists each and every member of the government in the battle to end this 52-year communist scourge that has brought so much grievous harm and endless suffering to the Filipino people," she added.

She added that it is only fitting that members of the military who carried the burden of the more than 50 years insurgency, to be part of the NTF ELCAC that is tasked to neutralize for good communist terrorists.

"And it is but right that those who have borne this problem on their own for over five decades- our men and women in uniform- be in the forefront of this fight," she added.

As with many things, Lorraine Badoy is wrong. The NTF-ELCAC is a civilian body created by E.O. 70. Here is the relevant passage from that E.O.

Section 2. Creation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict. To ensure efficient and effective implementation of the Whole-of-Nation approach, a National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (Task Force) is hereby created under the Office of the President (OP). 

Section 3. Composition. The Task Force shall be composed of the President of the Republic of the Philippines, as Chair; the National Security Adviser, as Vice-Chair. and the following as members, 

a. Secretary, Department of the Interior and Local Government; 

b. Secretary, Department of Justice: 

c. Secretary, Department of National Defense; 

d. Secretary, Department of Public Works and Highways; 

e. Secretary, Department of Budget and Management; 

f. Secretary, Department of Finance; 

g. Secretary, Department of Agrarian Reform; 

h. Secretary, Department of Social Welfare and Development; 

i. Secretary, Department of Education, 

j. Director General, National Economic and Development Authority; 

k. Director General, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency; 

l. Director General, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority; 

m. Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process: 

n. Presidential Adviser for Indigenous Peoples' Concerns; 

o. Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines;

p. Director General, Philippine National Police; 

q. Chairperson, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples; 

r. Secretary, Presidential Communications Operations Office, and 

s. Two (2) Representatives from the private sector. 

The NTF-ELCAC is a civilian body created under the Office of the President. It is not a military body. Ergo Parlade should not be a member. The solution to allowing him to stay is to make it a military body answerable to the DND and AFP. Since the arguments from both Lorenzana and Badoy are that the military is the one leading the fight against the NPA then making that change should be no problem.

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