Insurgency: No Longer Relevant

The government continues to proclaim that the communist insurgency is basically over. President Duterte spewed that line recently saying that the NPA is no longer relevant.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/10/22/no-longer-relevant-duterte-talks-smack-vs-npa-in-anti-insurgency-meeting/

Communist armed group the New People’s Army (NPA) is no longer relevant to Filipinos. 

Thus, declared President Duterte on Thursday night, Oct. 21 during the joint meeting of the National Task Force-Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-RTF ELCAC) in Region IV-A at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City, Quezon Province. 

“You know in all the other programs about ELCAC usually I do not read my prepared speech because I have a very special statement to make to the NPAs,” Duterte said. 

“Kaya lang wala sila dito (But they aren’t here right now) so I would dispense with my usual practice kasi gusto ko talagang sabihin sa kanila na (because I really want to tell them that) you are no longer relevant to the lives of the Filipino people,” he said, to the audience’s applause. 

The NTF-ELCAC has slammed the NPA for its alleged recruitment activities, which usually prey on the youth. 

“But there has been really a — quite a reduction of the NPA activities. They are in Mindanao but limited to Northern Mindanao including Davao City,” Duterte said. 

Turning to his formal speech for the event, the Chief Executive said: “Today, I stand before you to say with confidence that we are winning the war against communist insurgency in our country.”

Calling the NPA "no longer relevant" is a huge blunder the military has made several times over the years.  It leads to complacency. But the PNP says even though the government is winning the war against the communists they will not take the few remaining NPA fighters for granted.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1157582

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said the government security forces are not underestimating the capability of the “remaining few” of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) to regroup and launch atrocities in the country.

This, after President Rodrigo Roa Duterte last week said there are now fewer NPA activities taking place since the creation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and its regional task forces.

“The PNP agrees with President Duterte’s assessment that we are winning the war against communist insurgency and fully acknowledge the contributions of all government agencies and our LGUs in this endeavor,” Eleazar said in a video message Saturday.

Eleazar, however, said the PNP is “not underestimating the capability of the remaining few especially in the coming election period when they could extort money that could be used to finance atrocities and recruitment and to undermine our democratic process come May 2022.”

He said the PNP will not lower its guard in anticipation of possible attacks by the CPP-NPA-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) which is desperate to prove it is still a force to reckon with.

“(So we reiterate our warning to the candidates not to conspire with the CPP-NPA-NDF because we guarantee that you will be held accountable once your PNP finds you cooperating with them just to win),” he said.

Despite Eleazar's statement about "not underestimating the capability of the remaining few" it seems the PNP is going just that very thing. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1506653/pnp-blames-npa-for-iloilo-bombing-says-rebels-just-making-it-appear-theyre-still-strong

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has blamed communist rebel group New People’s Army (NPA) for the bombing in Tubungan town of Iloilo, which injured two police officers.

In a statement on Tuesday, PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar however dismissed the recent attacks as a mere strategy to show that the rebels are still strong — which he said would then be used as a leverage for their extortion activities amid the election season.

In line with this, Eleazar said that he has directed unit commanders to remain alert and continue their operations against NPA rebels to ensure a peaceful elections in 2022.

“The NPA attack that resulted to the wounding of two of our policemen is certainly a strategy being employed to make it appear that they are still strong and eventually use as a leverage for their extortion activities to candidates for the next year’s election,” he said.

(Because of this, I have tasked all our unit commanders to be alert and intensify their operations against the CPP-NPA-NDF so that they cannot be given a chance to amass money which would they use for recruitment and terrorism.)

This statement by Eleazar contradicts his pronouncement that the PNP would not underestimate the capability of the remaining few NPA members. If they are capable of setting off an attack that wounded two police officer then they remain very dangerous. To dismiss this attack as a show to scare political candidates into paying extortion money is ludicrous. Just Google "NPA attack" and take a look at all the many news stories. Here is one from September,

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2021/09/30/2130644/4-government-troopers-killed-agusan-npa-attack

Three soldiers of the 29th Infantry Battalion (IB) and a militiaman were killed in an attack by New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Barangay Maraiging in Jabonga, Agusan del Norte yesterday. 

Second Lt. Roselyn Matulac, 29th IB spokesman, said around 30 members of the NPA’s North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee fired at government troopers providing security to the construction of a farm-to-market road.

Was this also just a show put on to scare candidates into paying NPA extortion money? Of course not and PNP Chief Eleazar trivializes the wounding of two police officers by the NPA. 

Extortion of political candidates by the NPA is a huge problem. Last election cycle the DILG said they had a list of 349 people who paid that extortion money. If anyone of those people were arrested or held accountable the public was not told about it. Extortion is not the only way terrorism is financed in the Philippines.The PNP says they are intensifying their efforts to stop terror financing.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1157658

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, on Monday assured it is working together with concerned government agencies in stopping terrorist financing to have the country removed from the "gray list" of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

This came after the Paris-based task force has included the Philippines in its “gray list” following the conclusion of a hybrid meeting from October 19 to 21, stressing that the country needs to develop strategies to effectively address terrorist financing and money laundering.

Eleazar said the PNP, for its part, has entered a number of agreements with the AMLC for the effective enforcement of Republic Act 10168 or the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012.

“Terrorism financing is a scourge on our country and the Filipino people. We need to always be on alert and come up with measures to stop the flow of money to these terrorist groups who would use these funds to carry out possible attacks,” Eleazar said in a statement.

Eleazar pointed out that in February this year, the PNP and AMLC signed a memorandum of agreement to solidify coordination and boost efforts in enforcing provisions of Republic Act 10168.

“This is in addition to the past individual memorandums of agreement entered into by AMLC with various PNP offices and units such as DIDM, CIDG, and IG, to beef up the campaign against terrorist financing,” Eleazar said.

The MOA between the PNP and AMLC provides for the establishment of a center at Camp Crame which will serve as an information-sharing hub between the two agencies.

It all starts at hone. If the Bayan Muna party list is just a communist front then it's a wonder why the AMLC has not frozen their bank accounts. If they have the evidence then do it and let the courts settle it all out.