I always try to find a story or theme for each of these articles about the insurgency. This week the theme is "bomb makers."
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1160601 |
A bomb maker of the New People’s Army (NPA) has surrendered to authorities in Quinapondan, Eastern Samar, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported on Tuesday.
Police identified the NPA rebel as Alfredo Baluyot, 55, a farmer from Gen. MacArthur town in Eastern Samar.
He showed up at the headquarters of 2nd Eastern Samar Police Mobile Force Company in Buenavista village in Quinapondan town around 2 p.m. on Monday.
"The police and the military with the help of an advocacy support group were able to locate and convince another regular member of the communist terrorist group through intelligence and information operation," the PNP regional office here said in its report sent to journalists.
The surrenderer turned over a .38-caliber revolver with five live ammunition, two anti-personnel mines, 16 caliber 5.56 live ammunition, and a cassette tape.
He turned over a cassette tape? It's 2021 how is that even possible? What is on that cassette tape? Wham's greatest hits? No doubt this "surrenderer" will be getting NTF-ELCAC bribery benefits. But anyone who surrenders qualifies basically. If you are nabbed then you are screwed.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1160656 |
Joint police and military operatives have arrested an Abu Sayyaf explosive expert in a law enforcement operation in this southern port city, a top police official announced here Tuesday.
Col. Rexmel Reyes, Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) director, identified the arrested Abu Sayyaf as Kalmi Mustala, 42, a Sulu-based member of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG).
Reyes said that Mustala, who is presently residing in Barangay Recodo here, was arrested around 9 a.m. Tuesday in Sitio Caragasan, Barangay Maasin, west of this city.
Reyes said that Mustala has standing warrants of arrest for illegal possession of explosives, double frustrated murder, and double attempted murder issued on June 19, 2021 by the court of Sulu with no bail recommended.
This guy is screwed. He was wanted for double frustrated murder, double attempted murder, and illegal possession of explosives. One cannot help but think he would get the red carpet treatment if he had surrendered.
They say everything comes in threes. Here is the third bomb maker. He was not nabbed and he did not surrender.
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| https://www.philstar.com/nation/2021/11/25/2143757/wanted-terrorist-bomb-maker-killed-south-cotabato-authorities-say |
Authorities said they shot dead a bomb maker of the Dawlah Islamiya terror group in a brief gunfight in Barangay Lapu in Polomolok on Thursday.
The slain Dawlah Islamiya member, Esmael Sambial, and 15 companions are wanted for acts of terror and other heinous offenses.
Sambial was good at fabricating improvised explosive devices that can be detonated from a distance using a mobile phone, according to Army and police intelligence sources.
A police team was to arrest Sambial and other Dawlah Islamiya members peacefully but the operation went haywire when they resisted and opened fire, provoking a gunfight that resulted in his death.
Sambial's companions scampered away when they sensed that more policemen were closing in, leaving his bullet-riddled cadaver behind.
Sambial was a henchman of Zadee Nilong, leader of a Dawlah Islamiya group tagged in recent deadly bombings in central Mindanao.
The Dawlah Islamiya is connected with the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters whose bastions are in the adjoining North Cotabato and Maguindanao provinces.
What this story shows is that Dawlah Islamiya is not going away any time soon. They seem to be rather tenacious in their efforts. However, their cohorts the BIFF are keen on surrendering.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1160877 |
A field commander of the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and five of his followers have surrendered in Maguindanao due to dismay and exhaustion, the military here reported Thursday.
“They belong to the Kagui Karialan faction operating in North Cotabato and Maguindanao provinces,” Lt. Col. Edwin Alburo, commander of the Army’s 40th Infantry Battalion (40IB), said in a report to this camp.
Alburo said the six BIFF gunmen voluntarily surrendered at the 40IB headquarters in Datu Paglas, Maguindanao on Wednesday afternoon through the joint effort of town officials and military field forces in the area.
He did not identify the surrenderers for security reasons.
He said the surrendering group was dismayed by the negligence of their leaders in attending to their needs, such as food and other provisions, amid the relentless pursuit operations against them by military forces.
“The surrender of BIFF field commander and his members is a clear manifestation that their organization is dwindling and on the brink of defeat,” Uy said.
One dude surrenders with his men and that is a "clear manifestation" that the BIFF is "dwindling and on the brink of defeat?" That is just more propaganda. It could be true but when the AFP says it the ususal pattern is for the opposite to manifest.
Aside from the surrenderers and the persons nabbed there are also persons neutralized which means killed. How many NPA have been neutralized this year so far?
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The number of New People’s Army (NPA) rebels neutralized in Eastern Mindanao has skyrocketed to nearly 2,000 from January 1 to November 24 this year, the Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) reported Thursday.
In a statement, Lt. Gen. Greg Almerol, Eastmincom commander, said of the figure, 66 were killed during legitimate operations by government troops, 127 were captured, and 586 surrendered.
Almerol described the series of NPA surrenders as a manifestation of the growing distrust of its members in their organization and remaining leaders.
“With no letup in our intensified combat operations, coupled with the strong support from the local government units and the populace, we are optimistic that we can dismantle the remaining guerilla fronts in Eastern Mindanao and finally make way for unhampered peace and development,” he said.
Almerol added that about 1,200 NPA allies have withdrawn their support from the group as a result of Eastmincom’s focused military operations.
“The growing number of neutralized NPA members is a clear sign of the effective strategies employed by Eastmincom units in their respective areas,” he said.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1161005 |
Out of all these people who surrendered only ONE actually terrorist surrendered?? Well, good for him because now he can avail of the government's bribery program. Well, despite that program the AFP is rallying the soldiers to fight it out to the end.A total of 186 supporters of the New People’s Army (NPA) from 10 villages of Carigara, Leyte surrendered to government authorities on Friday.
Among the surrenderers is 24-year-old Jonnel Anos, the lone NPA fighter among those who yielded.
Traumatized by clashes with soldiers in the outskirts of Hilongos, Leyte, and sleepless nights and hunger, Anos decided to return to his family in December 2018.
"We were told that the fight is for the welfare of the poor, but I realized that it's all about their propaganda," said Anos, of Canlampay village here.
The NPA persuaded him to join as a combatant when he was 20 years old in 2017.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Lt. Gen. Andres Centino urged the First Scout Ranger Regiment (FSRR) and other military elite units to intensify their operations to put an end to the communist insurgency in the country.
"The coming year is crucial because we are intensifying our operations to end local communist armed conflict. In the past our campaign reaches only a certain point, ngayon lang tayo nakaramdam na kaya natin tapusin (now is the only time that we feel that we can end them) with the last remaining seven months," Centino said during the celebration of the 71st anniversary of the FSRR at Camp Pablo Tecson in San Miguel, Bulacan Thursday.
Will the communist insurgency be over in seven months? Not likely but we shall see!
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