Insurgency: Surrender in Time For Holidays

 The AFP really, really wants the remaining NPA fighters to surrender. 

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/475723/viscom-to-remaining-members-of-cpp-npa-surrender-reconcile-with-govt

The Visayas Command or Viscom is calling on the ‘few remaining members’ of the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) to lay down their arms and reconcile with the government following the death of three alleged terrorist in Eastern Visayas.

“We are saddened by the death of our fellow Filipinos who fell victim to this false ideology. That is why we are reiterating our call to the few remaining members of the CPP-NPA terrorist, lay down your arms, and abandon your armed struggle,” said Major General Benedict Arevalo, acting commander of the Visayas Command.

According to the press statement of VISCOM, the alleged NPAs in Eastern Visayas suffer debacles again following the recent operations conducted by government troops against alleged NPA members.

This exchange of gunshots resulted in the death of two alleged terrorists and apprehension of three other members. Authorities also managed to secure several war materiel from the individuals, which include assorted five ammunition and subversive documents.

A day prior to this gunfight, on Nov. 17, members of the 3rd Infantry Battalion also conducted a focused military operation in a mountain area of Barangay San Isidro, Las Navas in Northern Samar where they had an encounter with 10 alleged NPAs. One NPA member, unfortunately, died from the firefight. Also, the military seized war materiel from the area.

Arevalo again stated that these debacles is a manifestation of the weakening force of the terrorist group in Eastern Visayas.

Is this guy serious? A few dead NPA equals weakening strength? That is not necessarily so. A few NPA dead is good and means they can never rejoin the cause if they surrender but It does not mean they are weakening. It's not just the Visayas. The AFP wants ALL remaining NPA fighters to surrender.  For the holidays of course. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1189065

The Army's 8th Infantry Battalion (8IB) has urged the remaining New People Army (NPA) combatants in Bukidnon province to surrender in time for the Christmas season.

In a statement Monday, Lt. Col. Anthony Bacus, the 8IB commander, said military operations in the province will continue to inflict major setbacks on the remnant NPA groups.

"We are relentlessly calling all remaining rebels to lay down their arms and embrace peace and celebrate Christmas with your family. Our government is here to assist you in your reintegration into the mainstream (society)," Bacus said.

Do they really think the remaining NPA fighters will surrender for the holidays? That is very delusional and shows that the AFP does not take them seriously. 

If you remember Senator Cayetano said the DND budget should not be discussed publicly so that insurgents could not figure out the weakness of the AFP and they did not know how much funding the CPP-NPA had.  This week Senator Robin Padilla contradicted Cayetano. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1696024/confidential-intel-funds-help-govt-vs-terrorism-sen-padilla

Confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) have helped the government in its crackdown against terrorism, Senator Robin Padilla said on Monday.

Padilla, who admitted he was a leftist, claimed that the government has successfully fought terrorists.

(Now, I am happy because I want to tell the news to the public that the government has been successful in its fight against terrorists.)

(In fact, these intelligence and confidential funds have helped cleanse the far-flung areas of terrorists who spark fear and extort.)

Padilla expressed support for providing the proposed CIFs for the offices of the President and Vice President, which are P4.5 billion and P500 million, respectively.

Citing his documentary Memoirs of a Teenage Rebel, Padilla said that terrorists recruit students and bring them to the mountains.

He added that terrorist groups receive billions of pesos in funds from overseas.

(How will we fight that? We can fight that if we have billions of confidential and intelligence funds.)

The neophyte lawmaker clarified that he is not against leftists but opposes violence.

(Let us stop the violence. Then, we can all be revolutionists, real revolutionists without violence. Let us not move backward, but forward.)

As with everything Padilla says there is plenty to note. How does he know that the CPP-NPA receives billions and Cayetano does not?  The answer is simple. They are both attempting to defend the indefensible confidential funds of the Vice President, Sara Duterte. That means Cayetano is a liar. We have been told before from other sources than Padilla that the CPP-NPA reaps billions in funds from overseas donations via their front organizations as well as from extortion fees.

The AFP claims the NPA is recruiting minors.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1189355

The Philippine Army has renewed its call to the New People’s Army (NPA) to stop engaging minors in their armed struggle against the government.

Maj. Gen. Camilo Ligayo made the appeal on Thursday after a rebel who recently surrendered disclosed there are minor combatants recruited by the communist group.

“Our young people should be in school and protected from all kinds of abuse. Imagine the trauma of a minor engaged in fighting, going hungry for days, lack of sleep and endless hiking for the ideology that has not helped even one NPA to succeed in life for almost 54 years," Ligayo said in a statement.

NPA surrenderer Anthony Encinas, 19, told soldiers he had two colleagues, both 17 years old.

Encinas, who yielded on Nov. 19, was a member of Bugsok Platoon, sub-regional committee Sesame for a year.

“If he was with 17-year-olds, they were probably recruited by a younger person. This is a clear violation of the International Humanitarian Law,” Ligayo added.

Ligayo also appealed to the public to support and protect the welfare of children and help stop the recruitment of child combatants.

The military has been holding dialogues with parents and village officials living in vulnerable communities to help prevent recruitment activity among minors.

Ligayo said they are trying to identify parents of minors recruited by the NPA and will be tapped to convince their children to surrender.

The local task force to end local communist armed conflict has been meeting with school officials and teachers to protect the youth from the deceptive recruitment and radicalization by the Communist Party of the Philippines -NPA – National Democratic Front and their front organizations.

“While parents are working hard for the good future of their children, these rebels are still rampant in stealing children from parents who I think are now looking for and worried about the condition of their children,” Ligayo added.

If they are recruiting minors then they certainly are not weakening as Major General Benedict Arevalo, acting commander of the Visayas Command claims. Weakening or not the surrenders continue. In Mimaropa 147 have surrendered since January. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1189436

A total of 147 members of the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People's Army (CPP-NPA) surrendered to different police units in Mimaropa from January to November 24 this year, the Police Regional Office (PRO) 4-B (Mimaropa) said Friday.

“We commit to sustaining the success of this campaign towards a communist terrorist group-free Mimaropa,” PRO 4-B chief, Brig. Gen. Sidney Hernia, said in a statement.

The latest to surrender were four members of the New People's Army (NPA) in Oriental Mindoro on Tuesday.

“The surrender of these former rebels is another concrete proof of the success of the government’s campaign against terrorism and insurgency under the NTF-ELCAC (National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict),” Hernia said.

In fact the Marcos administration says they remain dedicated to helping ex-rebels.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1189478

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said Friday the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is keen on providing multi-faceted opportunities to former rebels.

This is part of the government’s counter-insurgency efforts and whole-of-nation approach against insurgent groups.

NTF-ELCAC vice chairperson and National Security Adviser Clarita Carlos made this assurance during the Regional Development and Security Forum in Zamboanga City held from Wednesday to Thursday.

During the forum, Carlos emphasized the importance of peacebuilding for economic growth.

"The magic word really is to ‘sustain’ it, because no economic growth will happen, whenever there is no peace and order," she said.

The Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ZDS PTF-ELCAC) also presented the progress of "Project Good Life for Friends Rescued" as a deradicalization and reintegration program of the ZDS PTF-ELCAC.

The term "friends rescued" refers to former rebels who are undertaking the reintegration program of the government.

"Friends rescued!?" What a thing to call rebels who have killed soldiers and others and then surrendered to avail of benefits. 

Some of these "friends recused" and their relatives might even be able to receive scholarships.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1189365

Apart from the regular assistance given to a newly-declared insurgency-free province, Governor Dorothy Montejo-Gonzaga emphasized the need for educational scholarships in its geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA) to sustain the peace efforts.

In a press briefing here Wednesday afternoon, Gonzaga said they have revised the scholarship program of the province making sure that slots will be given to students in GIDAs and former rebels (FRs) or their family members.

“For the FRs or we call them ‘friends rescued’, they can avail of the scholarship. It is also made available for their families or relatives,” she said.

Gonzaga added they are also catering to scholars of the various indigenous people’s tribes and children of solo parents.

She assured that their regular assistance in GIDAs would continue to avoid the reentry of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels into their communities.

Gonzaga said they are using the Provincial Peace and Order Council funds to provide the needs of the communities in the province.

“It is much more challenging today because since there is no presence of the NPA, the expectation of the people from the provincial government is high. They are now keen on the benefits of being insurgency-free,” she said

Whats most important about the surrender of rebels and declaring an area to be insurgency free is that it is good economically. Especially for tourism. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1189205

The return of former rebels (FRs) to the government will bring peace to Antique and boost its tourism industry.

“The FRs’ surrender will greatly contribute to the peace and order that tourists from other places will no longer be afraid to visit our beautiful destinations,” Antique Vice Governor Edgar Denosta said in his message during the release of the twice-a-year PHP5,000 financial assistance and relief goods to each of the 39 former members of the New People's Army (NPA) on Tuesday.

Denosta added that some of the beneficiaries of the financial assistance are from barangays Imparayan, Igpanulong, and Cabladan, which had been declared as part of the Sibalom Natural Park through Republic Act 11038 and was opened to tourists on March 1 this year.

The natural park is home to some endemic flora and fauna, such as the Rafflesia, Visayan Warty Pig, Visayan Tarictic Hornbill, and Visayan Spotted Deer.

“With the peace and order in these barangays, the tourists will be interested to see also the beautiful views and be willing to spend money for their food and souvenirs during their stay there,” he said.

The presence of tourists will redound to the creation of employment for the local people, including the surrenderers.

What a circle! Rebels surrender, tourism rebounds, and jobs are created for former rebels to take care of the tourists. Perhaps the best thing to do if you are a rebel and don't want to surrender is to run into the jungle at the sounds of the AFP approaching. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1697383/elusive-female-npa-rebel-escapes-anew-in-laguna

A wanted woman New People’s Army (NPA) rebel on Wednesday escaped again from pursuing government forces in Luisiana town, Laguna province.

A report from the Region 4A police said elements from the 2nd Laguna provincial mobile forces swooped down at 7:05 p.m. on Barangay San Buenaventura to serve the warrant of arrest against Janice Quiatchon Javier, who is wanted for murder and attempted murder.

But as the police were approaching the target’s hut, a dog barked and alerted the occupants of the shack—two females and one male—who fled towards a forested area.

The report claimed that Javier was one of the escapees.

The police found bomb-making components, rice, and canned goods inside the hastily abandoned hut.

On Nov. 20, Javier and two of her comrades also escaped from another police team in neighboring Lucban town in Quezon province.

During the hot pursuit, the police found a sack containing four rifle grenades, bomb-making components, and personal belongings left behind by the group.

Amazing! Did the AFP not give chase? Did they not have air power to surveil the area? It's incredible that a wanted terrorist can slip away so easily from the AFP.