Insurgency: Peacemakers

President Marcos say the AFP must take the role of peacemakers vs the insurgency as the approach to fighting the NPA has changed. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1197588

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday called on the military to be “peacemakers” in the country’s fight against communist insurgents, citing how his administration has moved away from the old anti-insurgency approach.

Speaking before the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) 9th Infantry "Spear" Division in Camarines Sur, Marcos recognized the role of the military as “warfighters” who put pressure on the enemies of the state.

He, however, said they must also take on the role of “peacemakers” who give communist insurgents a chance to return to the fold of the law.

“…Now, we are asking you to be peacemakers because we have changed our approach to the communist, terrorist groups that we have been encountering,” Marcos said.

“We are now not only presenting them with a military force, we are presenting them with other options. We are presenting them with a life after their life as rebels,” he added.

Marcos attributed the gains in ridding communist terror groups to the government’s “whole-of-nation” approach to resolving armed conflict.

The whole-of-nation approach aims to address the root causes of the communist insurgency and provide developments in conflict-affected areas.

“Although they technically have not abandoned the concept of armed struggle, I think efforts of those dissidents had been redirected in another way. And that’s why your role as the Philippine military continues to be as warfighters, but now there is the additional mission that we are asking of you to be peacemakers,” he said.

For some life after being a rebel means being a chicken farmer but for others it means being part of a private armed group. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1197477

The Special Joint Task Force Negros said Wednesday that the slain suspect in the March 4 killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo and eight others was a former member of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).

The slain suspect was identified as Arnil Labradilla of Sitio Awang, Barangay Atotes in Bindoy town, Negros Oriental.

Labradilla was identified based on revelations by other suspects apprehended during the pursuit operations by military and police personnel hours after the attack, Maj. Cenon Pancito III, task force spokesperson, told the Philippine News Agency.

He was killed after he allegedly resisted arrest and engaged in a shootout with pursuing troops hours after at least 10 gunmen barged into the residential compound of Degamo in Pamplona town and shot the governor including several people who were there to seek assistance.

So, how can the people be sure that ex-rebels won't go back to their old ways? By getting their families invovled in rehabilitating them. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1197511

The city government of Borongan in Eastern Samar province and the Philippine Army urged families of rebels to help the government convince their relatives to abandon the communist ideology.

Twenty three individuals from Borongan and other towns in Eastern Samar met with local government and Army officials for a dialogue on Wednesday at the Philippine Army headquarters in Lalawigan village in Borongan City.

They met with Borongan City Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda, Army 801st Brigade commander Brig. Gen. Lenart Lelina, and 78th Infantry Battalion commander Lt. Col. Allan Tria.

The dialogue with a theme, “Oryentasyon Para hin nga Lokal nga Iristorya ngan Negosasyon", aimed at asking family members to help the government in convincing their rebel relatives to yield to surrender to the folds of law and abandon the communist group.

Agda, in a statement, said that it is essential to hold a dialogue with the relatives of the rebels so the government would have a clear roadmap on helping rebels to have life in a normal community.

"If you used to think that the government had neglected you, now there is no reason for you not to turn back to the government. There are programs intended for you and your family that have gone astray. Let's be thankful for our armies and to our government for focusing on serving and working hard to end the insurgency," Agda said.

Among the local government's plan is the provision of housing site, wherein former rebels will have a community of their own, engage in livelihood activities such as farming.

Lelina assured the 23 families that the government would never stop and in pleading and asking their help to convince their relatives to surrender.

As of now there has been no information released as to when or where Arnil Labradilla surrendered or how he ended up working for a private army. One would think a watchful eye is being kept on  all former rebels but that seems to not be the case. 

The AFP has released their numbers for the first 9 days in March.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1197206

The operations conducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) across the country from March 1 to 9 have resulted in the neutralization of 53 communist rebels and terrorist group members.

In a statement on Sunday, AFP public affairs office chief Col. Jorry Baclor said the figure includes 26 New People's Army (NPA) insurgents, 22 Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) terrorists and five members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

In the same period, 46 NPA supporters also withdrew their support from the communist movement.

Baclor said the military has also recorded the surrender and seizure of 66 high-powered firearms, four anti-personnel mines, and various explosives and ammunition in the same period.

"The AFP continues to observe an upward trend in the surrender of regular members and supporters of terrorist groups in the country. It may be attributed to the non-stop intelligence-based focused military operations partnered with various peace initiatives by civilian stakeholders," Baclor said.

In fact here are 6 more Abu Sayyaf fighters surrendering in front of bags of rice saying they want to spend time with their families. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1197641

Six Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits have surrendered to authorities as they wish to avail of the government programs for returnees and to live peacefully together with their families, military officials said Friday.

The bandits surrendered to Lt. Col. Edward Viteño, the Army's 32nd Infantry Battalion (IB) commander, on Wednesday at Barangay Bonbon in Patikul town, Sulu province.

They turned over four high-powered firearms consisting of an M-16 Armalite rifle, an M1 Garand rifle, a Carbine rifle, and an M-203 grenade launched with ammunition.

Maj. Gen. Ignatius Patrimonio, the Army's 11th Infantry Division commander, said they are preparing the documents to enroll the ASG surrenderers in the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program and the Project Tulong ng Gobyernong Nagmamalasakit (TUGON).

Project TUGON is a program under Ministry of the Interior and Local Government in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Patrimonio said the 32IB provided initial financial and food assistance to the ASG surrenderers.

The surrender of the six brought to 57 the total number of ASG members who surrendered to the government since January in Sulu.

Fifty-one ASG members surrendered the past two months in the towns of Patikul and Indanan.

Those bags of rice won't last forever. And who's to say theses enemies of the state won't go back to fighting for an independent Mindanao which is the goal of Abu Sayyaf as well as the MILF who now runs the BARMM? These six are part of the terrorists neutralized during March 10th to the 16th.

https://mb.com.ph/2023/3/19/afp-43-reds-asg-bif-fs-neutralized-in-week-long-military-ops

A total of 43 suspected New People's Army (NPA) rebels, Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits, and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFFs) were either killed, arrested, or surrendered to the military and police during week-long operations in different parts of the country.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) conducted week-long focused military operations nationwide that resulted in the “neutralization” of 43 alleged communist rebels, Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits, and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFFs), a military official disclosed Sunday, March 19.

The operations held by different military and police units from March 10 to 16 ended with the death, arrest, and surrender of 29 alleged communist rebels, seven ASG members, and seven BIFFs, said Col. Jorry Baclor, chief of AFP public affairs office.

“The AFP’s momentum against different threat groups [is] expected to accelerate as field units intensify their focused-military operations, [complemented] by peace and development efforts in various parts of the country,” Baclor said.

But the fight still goes on. Literally. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1744821/npa-rebel-slain-firearms-seized-in-cagayan-province-clash

An alleged New People’s Army (NPA) rebel was killed and three high-powered guns were seized in a clash Friday, March 17, with government soldiers in Gattaran, Cagayan province.

Army Major Rigor Pamittan, 5th Infantry Division public affairs chief and spokesperson, said soldiers found the still-unidentified male rebel after a gunfight between the 77th Infantry Battalion and the 20-member NPA belonging to the Cagayan-Isabela Provincial Committee.

After getting information about the rebels’ presence, the soldiers trooped to the Tanglangan village and were later backed by the 52nd Division Reconnaissance Company when a gunbattle lasting for an hour and 30 minutes, broke out.

The firefight ended when the rebels withdrew, leaving their dead comrade behind. The Army took the body to a local funeral parlor as they and the local police worked together to identify him.

Found at the clash site were a K3 Squad automatic rifle, an M-653 assault rifle, an R4 assault rifle, three rifle grenades, three improvised explosive devices, 14 blasting caps, two rolls of detonating cord, a detonator, 69 rounds of caliber 45 ammunition, 376 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition, 150 rounds of Armalite link ammunition, three bandoliers and other personal items.

At the other end of Luzon in Quezon Province ten towns have been declared insurgency free.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1741606/10-quezon-towns-now-npa-free

Ten out of the forty-one municipalities in Quezon province have been declared free from the clutches of the New People’s Army (NPA), police reported Saturday, March 11.

Quezon police chief, Colonel Ledon Monte, in a report said the town of Real in the northern part of the province was the latest municipality with a “Stable Internal Peace and Security” (SIPS) or insurgency-free status.

Monte said the declaration meant that local government projects and programs “have reached the phase ready for investment and development having zero incidents of terroristic activities by the NPA.”

In his report, Monte quoted Real Mayor Diana Abigail Diestro-Aquino as she thanked the “gallant and dedicated (government) forces, the partner government agencies and the residents of the municipality for working so hard to achieve our shared dream of safe, secured and communist-free environment.”

10 out of 41 is 24%.  That means 76% of the municipalities in Quezon are still in "the clutched of the New People's Army. Sounds like they are still very relevant and dangerous in Quezon.