Insurgency: Total Defeat of NPA in Southern Mindanao

Four major events have happened this week in the AFP's fight against the insurgency. Let's take a look at them in order. First was the arrest of an NPA leader in Malaysia which led the NTF-ELCAC to declare the insurgency is now totally defeated in Southern Mindanao. 

https://mb.com.ph/2023/4/17/ntf-elcac-exec-declares-total-defeat-of-npa-in-s-mindanao-after-arrest-of-casilao

According to authorities, Casilao was intercepted by immigration personnel at the Langkawi immigration check in counter in Malaysia on April 1 while he was on his way to Thailand via a ferry boat. He was eventually deported to the Philippines on April 17.

A ranking official of the government’s primary anti-communist task force declared Monday, April 17, that the New People’s Army (NPA) in Southern Mindanao has been “totally defeated” following the arrest of alleged communist leader Eric Casilao.

According to authorities, Casilao was intercepted by immigration personnel at the Langkawi immigration check-in counter in Malaysia on April 1 while he was on his way to Thailand via a ferry boat. He was eventually deported to the Philippines on Monday.

Casilao is the alleged Secretary of the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SRMC) of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) – NPA, and an “active member” of the Central Committee of CPP, said Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr., executive director of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

“We can now declare that the SMRC, particularly its armed component, is now totally defeated,” Torres said.

So, the arrest of one man who had fled abroad means the NPA is now totally defeated in Southern Mindanao? Are they sure there are no more rebels hiding out in the jungle waiting to strike? As always time will tell. 

The second big happening is the end of the insurgency in the Eastern Visayas according to the NTF-ELCAC.

https://mb.com.ph/2023/4/20/communist-insurgency-ends-in-e-visayas-local-task-force-lauded

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and the Regional Peace and Order Council-Eastern Visayas (RPOC-EV) commended the Joint Regional Task Force (JRTF) ELCAC-VIII for ending communist insurgency problems in Eastern Visayas.

In a consultative meeting, DILG Region VIII Director Arnel M. Agabe, the vice-chairman for civilian government of the JRTF-ELCAC VIII, presented the updates on the agency’s implementation of peace-related programs.

However the AFP says the insurgency has not ended but has only weakened. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1758549/top-military-exec-claims-insurgency-weakening-in-eastern-visayas

A top military officer in Eastern Visayas on Wednesday, April 19, announced that the region’s insurgency problem has weakened.

Of the about 400 rebel-infested barangays in the region, the number has gone down to 20, according to Major Gen. Camilo Ligayo, the commanding general of the 8th Infantry Division.

Ligayo attended the 35th founding anniversary of the 802nd Infantry Brigade, headed by Gen. Noel Vestuir, based in Ormoc on Wednesday.

He also announced that there are about 200 active armed members of the Communist Party of the Philippines in the region, who are mostly operating on Samar Island, particularly in Northern Samar province, considered the last bastion of insurgency in the region.

Ligayo said the 20 villages where members of the New People’s Army dwell are located in Leyte and Samar provinces.

He, however, could not say where exactly these 20 villages are located.

“These villages have been cleared already, but the communist group is trying to recover these barangays. That is why we are conducting our CSP (community support program) in these barangays,” Ligayo said.

So, there are 20 rebel infested villages and more or less 200 active armed NPA. That is not an end to the insurgency.  That is very active. Where is the NTF-ELCAC getting their information?

The AFP even says they are attempting to recover these 20 villages. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1199733

The Philippine Army is stepping up efforts to foil the attempts of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) to recover 20 previously-influenced villages in Eastern Visayas, a top official said on Wednesday.

Maj. Gen. Camilo Ligayo, the Army’s 8th Infantry Division commander, said the 20 villages situated in Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, and Leyte provinces are vulnerable to infiltration given the recent sightings of NPA combatants in those areas.

“The rebels are hiding in the mountains, far from communities, but we are making sure that these villages will not be influenced again. We have retooled community support program (RCSP) teams there to prevent possible infiltration,” Ligayo said during an interview here.

The RCSP is a strategy that deploys teams tasked to identify issues and concerns in remote communities threatened by the NPA. These issues will be raised to the concerned government agencies and local government units to be addressed accordingly.

From 2019 to 2022, the military managed to clear 368 villages in the region influenced by rebels. These communities used to have organized groups supporting the NPA’s armed struggle.

Only last year, about 3,505 members of organized NPA mass supporters in the influenced communities surrendered to authorities across the region.

“Their strength is now diminishing, and that trend is irreversible following the surrender of their leaders. The surrenderers have been helping us in our campaign to end insurgency in the region,” Ligayo said.

Only two NPA guerilla fronts in Samar Island remain in existence after the dismantling of one front and the weakening of another during the first quarter of this year.

Are these 20 villages rebel infested or previously-influenced? And how did 3,505 NPA supporters surrender when we have been told for over a year that there are only about 2,000 rebels left? Also there are two NPA fronts left which means it's not over in the Eastern Visayas. The NTF-ELCAC is wrong. 

The NPA is also chasing about 50 NPA in the mountains of Samar. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1199636

The Philippine Army is hunting down the estimated 50 remaining combatants of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the mountains of Samar province, an official said on Tuesday.

Those engaged in armed struggle are remnants of the communist group after the dismantling of the last rebel guerilla front due to the deaths, capture, and surrender of their top leaders last year, Philippine Army 801st Brigade commander Brig. Gen. Lenart Lelina said in a phone interview.

“These NPA remnants are still fighting without organized supporters from local communities. Information from villagers about the sightings of armed men indicates that they are not welcome anymore,” he said.

The Philippine Army is eyeing to significantly neutralize the NPA remnants in Samar within the year.

Among the hinterland areas where the remaining rebels have been sighted are the towns of Pinabacdao, Calbiga, Basey, Marabut, San Jorge, and San Jose de Buan.

“We are hunting down the NPA remnants to stop their attempts to recover their previously influenced communities. It’s good that there is resistance from residents in remote areas,” Lelina added.

There are only 50 NPA remaining in Samar?  What about what was said earlier?

He also announced that there are about 200 active armed members of the Communist Party of the Philippines in the region, who are mostly operating on Samar Island, particularly in Northern Samar province, considered the last bastion of insurgency in the region.

We went from almost 200 to 50 in just a few articles. Unbelievable. 

The third big event to happen this week is the NPA in the Central and  Western Visayas becoming leaderless.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1199949

The Visayas Command (Viscom) on Sunday said the New People’s Army (NPA) in Central and Western Visayas is now left without a head following the death of their top leader, Rogelio Posadas.

Posadas died in an armed encounter with troops of the 94th and the 62nd Infantry Battalions (IB) in the boundaries of Isabela and Binalbagan in Negros Occidental on Thursday.

In a statement, Viscom said the death of Posadas left the NPA, the Communist Party of the Philippines’ armed wing, and the National Democratic Front (NDF) operating in Negros Island, Cebu, Bohol, and Siquijor “leaderless” and will no longer have “clear operational direction on the ground.”

Posadas’ death will further contribute to the leadership vacuum that the organization has been suffering, the Viscom added.

“Justice is served to Mr. Posadas! The CPP-NPA-NDF can never run away from the atrocities that they have committed against our country and people. Sooner or later the long arm of the law will be able to catch up with them,” Viscom said.

Why is Bohol mentioned in this list when the AFP declared the NPA to be dismantled in Bohol back in October, 2022? Cebu, Bohol, and Siquijor were all declared insurgency free back in 2017 but now the AFP admits the NPA is still active in those areas. It remains to be seen what the effects Posadas' death will have on the remaining insurgents.

Now for the fourth big thing to happen this week in the AFP's fight against the NPA and that is the CPP's affirmation that the Tiamzons were indeed killed last year during a firefight with the AFP. If you recall they were in a boat when the AFP approached and guns started blazing and then their boat exploded. The AFP was sure they were dead but it is only now they have gotten confirmation of their deaths. Heaven knows why they are trusting the CPP in this matter but don't trust them in any other matter. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1759094/communists-now-headless-and-without-clear-leaders-nsa

Following the Communist Party of the Philippines’ (CPP) confirmation and condemnation of the deaths of Benito Tiamzon and Wilma Austria-Tiamzon, National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo M. Año said that the “Communist Terrorist Group” (CTG) is now lost without its pivotal leaders.

This follows the CPP’s allegation that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) tortured and killed the Tiamzon couple and eight other members.

“With the death of CPP founder Jose Maria Sison and now the Tiamzon couple, the Communist Terrorist Group is now headless with no clear national leadership. They have lost both their guiding light in the person of Joma and their commander in the Tiamzons and are now groping in the dark with no direction nor future in sight,” said Año in a statement.

Año claimed that the government has long suspected the two communist leaders to be dead, but denied the CPP’s version of Tiamzons’ deaths.

“They are now trapped in their own web of lies, which deserves scant comment. Needless to say, there is no truth whatsoever in this clearly fabricated story and we stand by the official reports from the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” said the NSA chief.

Previous reports said that the Tiamzons were believed killed in a military encounter in Samar in 2022.

The CPP, however, asserted that Tiamzon and the other rebels were abducted by the military whilst unarmed.

Nonetheless, Año welcomed the CPP’s confirmation of the couple’s death.

“The death of the Tiamzons is just the latest in the string of defeats that show the clear decimation of Communist terrorism in our country which includes the recent arrest of notorious terrorist Eric Jun Casilao in Langkawi, Malaysia in a successful joint law enforcement operation with the Malaysian authorities,” said Año.

The CPP claims they were kidnapped and tortured by the AFP who denies it but you know what? Who cares!? They are dead and good for them. However, if Duterte had not released this couple from prison they would not have been back out stirring up trouble. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/807871/release-of-tiamzon-couple-shows-duterte-sincerity-opapp

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (Opapp) on Friday said the release of National Democratic Front (NDF) peace consultants Benito and Wilma Tiamzon was a sign of President Rodrigo Duterte’s sincerity in his bid to solve the decades-old communist insurgency.

Opapp said the couple were the last among detained ranking members of the NDF who were temporarily released to join the peace talks between the government and the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) in Oslo, Norway next week.

“With their release, in addition to more than a dozen of NDF consultants earlier granted bail and already freed, one more stumbling block is removed.  We are looking forward to a fruitful but intense negotiations in Oslo,” Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza said in a statement.

Before he won the elections, Duterte promised to make peace with the Left, which he has close ties with. However, recent events have caused both parties to question each other’s good will. It was eventually resolved when the government pushed through with its promise to release political prisoners.

The release of these people did not showcase Duterte's good will but rather his incompetence. Duterte was a destructive force the Philippines will be reeling from for years to come.