Insurgency: NTF-ELCAC Calls NPA Surrenderees "Friends Rescued"

Increasingly the fight against the insurgency is focused on the Central Visayas. The new commander of the  Army's 303rd Infantry Brigade has vowed to sustain the gains made on Negros Island.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1194056

The new commander of the Philippine Army's 303rd Infantry Brigade (IBde) has vowed to sustain the gains in the anti-insurgency campaign in Negros Island as he called on those still in the armed struggle to surrender.

“My first standing order is to sustain the gains in our operations, which should be intelligence-driven along with civil-military operations and focused military operations,” Col. Orlando Edralin told reporters after assuming his post in rites held at Camp Gerona in Murcia town, Negros Occidental province on Tuesday.

He said these are very important to ensure that the troops will not violate human rights and will follow the rule of the law.

“We don’t want war. We really want to invite the remaining communist-terrorist group members in our area to surrender,” he added.

The NTF-ELCAC also wants more rebels to surrender. They call it "rescuing."

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1193866

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) is determined to rescue more communist insurgents and give them the opportunity to rejoin their families and live peaceful and useful lives again.

This is the task force's goal for this year which was raised during the meeting of its 12 national clusters on Jan. 27.

"(National Security Adviser) Secretary (Eduardo) Año issued his ways forward guidance and direction in strengthening the National Task Force’s whole-of-nation mechanisms and convergence efforts to ensure the realization of the aspiration and directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to finally achieve lasting and inclusive peace and development for all," the NTF-ELCAC said in a statement issued Sunday night.

Plans and programs presented during the meeting highlighted the NTF-ELCAC's "resolve to rescue more rebels and provide them with holistic support so they may rejoin their loved ones in the communities and contribute to the betterment of society."

These are also geared to "further strengthen the resilience of the Filipino people from the communist terrorist group’s malevolent influence and continuing attempts to cause terror and chaos in our land."

Año also expressed his confidence in the NTF-ELCAC's roadmap.

The national clusters also pledged their unwavering commitment towards the full reconciliation and reintegration of each "friend rescued" (FR) and bringing development to all four corners of the country, especially the far-flung barangays.

FR refers to surrendered members of the New People's Army and other allies of the communist movement.

If each NPA member who have surrendered is a "friend rescued" does that mean those who are actively fighting against the AFP are "friends in need of rescuing?

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1194145

Classes are suspended in all elementary and secondary schools in 11 remote barangays of this town until Feb. 3 due to ongoing hot pursuit operations of government forces against New People's Army (NPA) rebels.

Memorandum Circular No. 2023-03A issued by Mayor Romulo Edaño on Wednesday canceled classes in all elementary and secondary schools in the villages of Butanguiad, Casay, Don Juan Vercelos, Huyon-huyon, Inabuan, Mabunga, Nasalaan, Pagsangahan, Pugon, Silongin and Sto. Niño from Feb. 1-3.

Edaño, in his memorandum, said "this is to ensure the safety of residents after the rebel group had an encounter with the combined military and police forces, who conducted a hot pursuit operation in the said areas last Sunday."

Last Jan. 27, an encounter ensued between military and rebel groups in the adjacent town of San Andres where a soldier was hurt and three NPA rebels were killed.

In a report, the Police Regional Office 4A identified the fatalities as members of the Platon Reymark, Sub-Regional Military Area 4B of the Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front.

The insurgents fled to different directions and the 11 barangays in San Francisco covered by the memorandum are included in the military’s areas of pursuit operations.

To mitigate the fear gripping the residents, the local government ordered the class suspension.

"This is what we decided to do to maintain the safety of the students and the citizens of the barangays based on the report and recommendation that the Philippine Army gave us regarding the ongoing encounter between the military and the rebels," Edaño said in a phone interview.

The Visayas Command Chief has condemned the killings of innocent civilians by NPA or friends in need of rescuing. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1194093

An Army official on Wednesday urged members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army not to terrorize innocent civilians as he condemned the series of killings allegedly perpetrated by rebels in Negros Island over the past week.

“The CPP-NPA has once again displayed their murderous nature to terrorize and instill fear (in) the peace-loving communities in the region. These cold-blooded murders are manifestations of their complete disregard (for) the lives of our people just to advance their terroristic goal,” Lt. General Benedict Arevalo, chief of the Visayas Command (Viscom), said.

Arevalo said CPP-NPA, through its rebel units, has claimed responsibility for five deaths last month.

Leonardo Panaligan Command-New People’s Army (LPC-NPA) Central Negros Guerrilla Front had reportedly admitted behind the killing of councilman Cerilo Balasabas, 48, of Barangay Guba in the town of Vallehermoso in Negros Oriental on Jan. 14 for allegedly spying for the government.

A certain “JB Regalado” who claimed to be LPC-NPA spokesperson, said they murdered Balasabas when he acted as an intelligence asset of the Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion (IB).

Accordingly, Balasabas was instrumental in the residents’ decision to withdraw their support to the communist movement but the rebels accused him of threatening and red-tagging people to force them to surrender to the government.

A 29-year-old civilian, Raffy Estorco, of Barangay Macagahay in Moises Padilla town in Negros Occidental, was shot dead by unidentified men on Jan. 19 while driving a motorcycle for his alleged work with the military.

The NPA’s Armando Sumayang Command also admitted responsibility for the death of a civilian identified as Silas Granada who was killed on Jan. 28 in Sitio Tugas, Barangay Pinggot, Ilog, Negros Occidental.

The other victims were Ramel Europa, who was gunned down at Sitio Sambag, Barangay Manghanoy, La Castellana in Negros Occidental on Jan. 23; Regie “Gang Gang” dela Cruz was killed on Jan. 25 at Sitio Maiti, Barangay Buenavista, Himamaylan City in Negros Occidental.

Arevalo assured the families of the victims that “the perpetrators of these horrible acts will be held accountable”.

“We will further intensify our efforts to achieve justice for our people and put an end to the CPP-NPA’s menace in the region,” he said.

At least two of those men seem to be military assets and not "innocent civilians." The fact that the NPA is out killing people opposed to them sounds like they have not lost their edge. The same Visayas Command Chief has ordered troops to intensify their anti-insurgency efforts. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1194200

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Visayas Command (Viscom) chief has ordered government forces to step up their operations this year against the communist insurgency in Negros amid positive gains.

“We are actually gaining much ground (and) we have weakened the guerrilla fronts here,” Lt. Col. Benedict Arevalo, Viscom commander, said in an interview with the Philippine News Agency on Wednesday afternoon.

Arevalo noted a decline in violent incidents initiated by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) “and our campaign is practically on the upbeat”.

Army commanders in Negros have previously said the NPA’s South East Front has already been dismantled while another guerrilla front in Central Negros has dwindled in numbers.

The Viscom chief, who concurrently heads the 3rd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army based in Jamindan, Capiz, said he had directed the different units to step up their operations to further weaken and neutralize the NPA forces and prevent them from “re-infiltrating the different barangays”.

Central Negros still has the biggest challenge in the counter-insurgency campaign, Arevalo said, adding that he has already directed his troops not to be complacent in going after the remnants of the guerrilla fronts.

Meanwhile, the directive to intensify the anti-insurgency operations is not just in Negros but in the entire Visayas region, focusing on Samar Island, he said.

He reiterated his call to the remaining NPA members to voluntarily surrender and live a peaceful lives with their families as their armed struggle is no match to the government’s sustained operations.

On Samar island the AFP overran an NPA lair essentials catching them with their pants down. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1194247

The Philippine Army has recovered high-powered firearms and explosives after a clash with suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in an upland village in Calbayog City, Samar on Wednesday.

Acting spokesperson of the Philippine Army's 43rd Infantry Battalion (IB), Lt. Roxane Valenciano, said troopers attacked a band of 20 rebels at the boundary of Cangomaod and Cagmanipis villages, Tinambacan District in Calbayog City, Samar at past 1 p.m. on Wednesday.

"The rebels were caught unprepared, and they scampered in different directions during the encounter. We are sure some of them were injured since there are many blood stains in the clash site," she said in a phone interview Thursday.

Recovered from the NPA lair were an M16A rifle, an M653 rifle, two improvised hand grenades, two anti-personnel mines, detonator switches, five backpacks, a bandolier with three magazines of M14 rifle, and personal belongings.

"Our troops found the location of the NPA hideout through the information of alias Webb, a finance officer and member of the executive committee of the NPA Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee (EVRPC) who surrendered to 43rd IB on January 26," Valenciano added.

The rebels belong to the merged group of NPA front committee 2, sub-regional guerrilla unit, sub-regional committee emporium, and EVPRC, headed by Alex Capales alias Mantiw.

The NPA combatants, according to alias Webb, have been hiding near coconut plantations since they extort food from coconut farmers.

Commander of the Army's 43rd IB, Lt. Col. Manuel Degay Jr., has called on the remaining NPA members to surrender with the intensified focused military operations in Samar Island.

The rebels belong to the four remaining NPA guerrilla fronts in Eastern Visayas with a concentration in the mountains within the boundaries of Northern Samar, Eastern Samar and Samar provinces, according to the military.

Last year the AFP practically declared Mindanao free from all NPA influence with only scattered remnant. This year the fight has moved north. Will the AFP be able to flush out the remaining fronts in the Eastern and Central Visayas? Perhaps if they take them seriously enough to realize they remain an active force to be dealt with.