Insurgency: Two More Years

All throughout out Duterte's term the public has been told that the insurgency would be defeated by the time he left office. Now that we can see that such prognostications will not come to pass a new date has been set.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1607290/ntf-elcac-can-wipe-out-insurgency-in-two-years-duterte

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) can wipe out insurgency in about two years, President Rodrigo Duterte said in his taped weekly “Talk to the People” briefing that aired late on Monday.

“On a scale of one to 10, ang success of Elcac, this whole-of-government approach, if maintained, will be easier,” Duterte said, speaking in a mix of Filipino and English. “I would think that, given the way Elcac is running, give it another two years, it [the insurgency] would be almost wiped out. There are places that have only platoons.”

Duterte said as he was criticizing terrorist groups who he said had been killing more people, especially barangay officials, than the military and police personnel.

“How many people who did not want to follow you have you killed? And how many times have you done it to barangay captains? Is there any case pursued by the human rights [groups], international or the local, to at least equalize the situation by also going after the terrorists, who are criminals?” Duterte said.

“They are no longer revolutionary. There is no more revolutionary fervor in their movement,” Duterte said, apparently referring to the New People’s Army, the fighting group of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

“This is just m. I’m not addressing it to anybody. This ELCAC — this brainchild of General Esperon — is a very good one, and it can really help the country in its insurgency problem,” he added.

When Duterte took office there were an estimated 4,000 NPA fighters at the beginning of 2017. In April of this year there were an estimated 5,000 left nationwide.

https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/philippine/rebels-killed-04072022120955.html

“The CPP-NPA continues to wallow in irrelevance on the 53rd year of its campaign of terror and violence that has only made life more miserable for poor people in the countryside,” Gen. Dionardo Carlos, the chief of national police, said on March 29.

The NPA’s strength is estimated at around 5,000 fighters nationwide, down from at least 20,000 at its peak in the 1980s. 

That is 1,000 fighters gained in 5 years. It sounds like the NPA, far from being irrelevant, has no problems with recruiting new members. In fact there is a huge campaign warning students about being recruited by CPP fronts which belies the AFP's claim about them being irrelevant.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1176311

 A former New People's Army (NPA) member and also a high-ranking official of Communist Party of the Philippines' (CPP) legal front organization warned the public anew against the communists' recruitment of youth, especially students, into the armed revolution.

During Thursday's episode of SMNI’s Laban Kasama ang Bayan, Mae “Ka Loren” Garcia, said a student can be recruited into armed revolution through the communist underground organizations.

Garcia, who was also a former youth and student organizer for the League of Filipino Students (LFS), lamented that legal front organizations are being used to introduce the communist doctrines to the students and later on they will be recruited to become NPA members.

She was then a student when she was enticed to join the CPP-NPA's legal front organization.

Like any other NPA members who surrendered, Garcia said she also went through the CPP-NPA’s Maikling Kurso sa Lipunan at Rebolusyong Pilipino (MKLRP).

She noted that the MKLRP is designed to brainwash the new recruits, particularly the activist students.

It also serves as the initial path for armed revolution.

“(After getting indoctrinated by the movement and with other courses propagandized by the communist, once you accepted then one day you will end up being an NPA. That’s the worst mistake there. You can help our country in peaceful manner, not by armed revolution),” she said.

Garcia cited there are some courses in the MKLRP that advocate good things such as human fellowship and fighting for the protection of the underprivileged, but it does not really justify the need to go to the mountains and become an NPA.

“(They told us to help the masses, but the real mistake I saw there was that you hold firearms, fought the government and aim to overthrow your government. That's not helping anymore),” Garcia added.

She urged the youth to be vigilant against the organizations that are being used in the recruitment for the communist armed revolution.

The AFP is even setting up libraries which will be full of government propaganda in order to counter CPP-NPA propaganda.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1176308

The chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) Visayas Command (Viscom) on Thursday said they will collaborate with the private sector in establishing more learning hubs in the communities as a way to counter the narratives of the communist terrorist groups that the government is militarizing campuses.

Lt. Gen. Robert Dauz, Viscom chief, said the mini-library they turned over on Wednesday to the community in the hinterland Cambubho Integrated School in the northern city of Danao is a testament that such an initiative of providing learning hubs to grassroots is possible with the partnership of the private sector.

Dauz said they built the second learning hub in Danao City to counter the narratives from the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) that they are imposing military rule inside campuses.

“This project is our project. We don’t claim it as ours (in the military) although this is one of our initiatives. This is one way of countering the narratives of the communists who are saying that if we enter schools, all that we do is militarization,” he said in a message.

From the picture it would look like these libraries are targeted towards children. Never mind the fact that 9 out of 10 Filipino children are illiterate.

What does Duterte mean that the CPP-NPA are no longer revolutionary? What about the alleged fronts who have members in the House of Representatives?

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1175935

Parents’ groups and multi-sectoral organizations on Monday renewed their call to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to delist the party-list organizations affiliated with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF).

Members of the League of Parents of the Philippines (LPP), Liga Independencia Pilipinas (LIPI), and Makabagong Alyansa (MK) staged a protest rally in front of the Comelec main office in Intramuros, Manila to ask anew for the disqualification of party-list groups Kabataan, Anakpawis, Act Teachers and Bayan Muna for being front organizations of communist terrorist groups.

Remy Rosadio, LPP president, asked the Comelec to listen to the cries of mothers who lost their children because of communist recruitment.

“(They are openly siding with CPP-NPA. Stop playing blind and deaf. Look at the evidence against them, the testimonies of mothers who are crying until now because their children are being held by these groups),” Rosadio said during the rally.

Rosadio said the Comelec should realize that “these party-lists don’t deserve seats in Congress as they are only fixated in toppling the government” under the orders of exiled CPP founding chair Jose Maria "Joma" Sison.

Nolan Tiongco, MK secretary general, said despite their strong warning and constant reminders for the public to be critical of and vigilant against the party-list organizations that have links with the CPP-NPA-NDF, many still “fell prey to their lies”.

“(It’s sad that still many people have been recruited and many still voted for these party-list despite clear evidence. That’s why we are asking the Comelec to delist these party-lists),” Tiongco said.

According to this group not only are these fronts seeking to topple the government from within but they are also holding their children who have been recruited into the NPA. That does not sound like irrelevance. That sounds like the CPP-NPA is very active both militarily and politically.  And let us never forget the 300,000-400,000 CPP-NPA-NDF allies the NICA claims have infiltrated various government offices. 

The AFP says that remnants of the NPA in Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur are on the run.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1176362

The remaining New People's Army (NPA) fighters between the boundaries of Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur provinces are “always on the run” amid the military's sustained raids on rebel hideouts.

The focused operations against NPA remnants in both provinces have triggered a series of surrenders recently, said Brig. Gen. Ferdinand Barandon, commander of the Army's 403rd Brigade (403Bde).

“Recent losses during encounters and our relentless peace and development efforts here in Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur made their situation very difficult and always on the run,” Barandon said in a statement Friday.

Barandon described the state of the NPA remnants in those areas as “exhausted” and “losing their morale.”

Seven of NCMRC's guerrilla fronts have already been dismantled, Mamawag said, while remnants of its “vertical forces are weakened.”

“Their futile attempt to recover their previous influenced areas has been a complete failure as the communities continue to work hand in hand with the government forces to fight terrorism,” Mamawag said.

It's funny how the NPA are painted as being exhausted and "losing their morale" and yet the public is warned to watch out for recruitment efforts.

The spokesman for ISIS-East Asia was killed this week during military operations.

https://www.kalinawnews.com/joint-operation-in-maguindanao-results-to-the-neutralization-of-isis-east-asia-spokesperson/

The Western Mindanao Command’s Joint Task Force Central successfully neutralized the spokesperson of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-East Asia (ISIS-EA) in a joint operation in Maguindanao on Monday afternoon, June 6, 2022.

Joint elements of the 601st Infantry Brigade, 40th Infantry Battalion, and the intelligence units conducted a special operation at Crossing Salbo, Barangay Poblacion, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao. The operation resulted in the death of Abdulfatah Omar Alimuden, a.k.a. Abu Huzaifah.

Aside from being the spokesperson of the ISIS-EA, Abu Huzaifah was also in charge of the financial transactions of the Daulah Islamiyah-Philippines to the ISIS Central.

Western Mindanao Command Chief, Lt. Gen. Alfredo Rosario, Jr., commended the operating troops for this significant accomplishment and urged them to sustain the momentum.

This is a good thing. Maybe now their finances will dry up. Maybe not. There is always someone to take their place. Either way the fight against Abu Sayyaf continues. Now the terrorist group MNLF wants to help.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1176171

The Joint Task Force (JTF)-Sulu and the Sulu island-based Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) have vowed to work together in ending the Abu Sayyaf Group terror activities in the province.

Col. Allaric Avelino Delos Santos, JTF-Sulu civil-military office chief, said Wednesday the agreement was reached when Sulu-based MNLF leader, Commander Abraham Joel, and JTF-Sulu commander, Maj. Gen. Ignatius Patrimonio, met at Camp Gen. Teodulfo Bautista in the island’s capital town of Jolo.

The meeting took place when Joel, along with his field commanders, recently visited Patrimonio in Camp Bautista, Delos Santos said.

“I came here together with my field commanders to convey our support to Maj. Gen. Patrimonio, who we treat as our brother, in fighting the ASG terrorists,” Joel was quoted by Delos Santos as saying.

Patrimonio also thanked Joel for the assurance to support the peace and development campaign to end terrorism in Sulu.

“It is assuring to know that we have come into understanding on our one purpose and one mission to totally end terrorism in the province of Sulu,” said Patrimonio, who is also the 11th Infantry Division (ID) commander.

President Rodrigo Duterte led the activation of the 11ID during his visit at Camp Bautista in Barangay Bus-Bus, Jolo, Sulu, in December 2018.

The 11ID is dedicated to fighting the Islamic State for Iraq and Syria (ISIS)-affiliated terrorist groups in Sulu.

“Let us continue to collaborate in attaining our collective vision of lasting peace and sustainable development in Sulu,” Patrimonio said.

Well, you know what they say.  You have to set a terrorist to catch a terrorist.