Insurgency: Reds A "Spent Force"

While the AFP continues to insist that the NPA is weakened and unable to carry out operations due to a dearth of leadership the facts prove otherwise. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1204841

The New People's Army (NPA) continues to stage attacks targeting various development projects of the government aimed at improving the quality of life in formerly rebel-controlled barangays, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said on Monday.

In an online press briefing, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Director Rene Valera, who heads the agency's Project Development Services, said military and police units have foiled at least 10 NPA attacks targeting various development projects.

“So, disruptions did not last long, base on the information we gathered the NPAs were just making their presence felt, and then they will flee," he added in a statement Monday night.

Based on DILG records, government forces repelled the NPA rebels' attack on Nov. 26, 2022 against a development project being implemented in Sitio Ibayasaya, Barangay Tigbanaba, Igbaras, Iloilo.

This was followed by a 16-man rebel attack in San Remegio, Antique.

On Jan. 27, a twin attack was conducted by the NPA in the barangays of Kabladdan and Kabanbanan in the town of Sibalom, Antique that killed three unidentified rebels.

Armed encounters between government security forces and the NPA were also recorded in San Miguel, Catanduanes.

On May 11, another encounter happened in Sitio Dangalon, Barangay Hilamonan, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental and then this was followed by an encounter on May 20 between 14 NPA rebels and government forces in Sitio Uway-uay, Barangay Quentin Remo, Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental.

In late March, government forces repelled a series of NPA attacks in Sitio Gimbaloran, Barangay Alipuaton, Salay, Misamis Oriental and in Barangay Buga, Riro-an, Taytay, and Tabiac to Barangay Batga in Tubungan area in Igbaras, respectively.

Valera said the Interior Department together with the NTF-ELCAC, military and police, and local government units will not be cowed by the economic sabotage being waged by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front along with their front organizations.

While the NTF-ELCAC does not say which projects were targeted or how they were targeted they sure are quick to downplay the situation by saying the just wanted to make "their presence felt, and then they will flee." Of course then they mention various encounters between the NPA and the AFP. While it is good the attacks were repelled the fact is attacks are continuing to take place.

This is not stopping the AFP from basically declaring victory and saying they can now focus on external threats.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1204889

Successful internal security operations (ISO) against the New People's Army (NPA) insurgents and local terrorist groups will allow the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to shift its resources to external defense operations or missions concerning territorial defense.

AFP chief Gen. Andres Centino made this remark during Tuesday's first semester command conference with other ranking military commanders held in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

“The AFP under the banner of ISO continues with the aim of totally defeating the communist terrorist group (CTG) and other local terrorists. Our efforts have resulted in success with the significant reduction of their numbers and firearms and the clearing of areas where they used to maintain presence; and those countering their propaganda, and suppression of their financial and logistics support,” he added.

Centino said the AFP's success in ISO was highlighted by the fact that of the five NPA guerilla fronts known as active in 2022, only one is active as two were reported dismantled while the other two are weakened.

"With these, we have safeguarded the safety and welfare of our fellow citizens. Thanks to the tireless efforts, support and cooperation of government agencies and different sectors of society,” the AFP chief noted.

With significant gains in ISO, Centino said a shift to external security operations (ESO) is on the horizon as the AFP strengthens its security posture with the increased conduct of aerial and surface maritime patrols, employment of air surveillance radar systems, monitoring of sea lines of communications and redeployment of naval special operations units and the Philippine Marines Corps.

Also, he noted an increased capacity and capability and professionalism brought by the AFP modernization and transformation programs.

“We have improved our capabilities and our presence in strategic locations with the increase in the number of naval vessels and the effective presence of our maritime detachments in the Batanes group of islands and the West Philippine Sea,” he added.

“These are complemented by partnering with our ally and strategic partner armed forces from our global and regional allied countries that enables leveraging of capabilities through information sharing, subject matter expert exchange, and joint and combined maritime patrols. All of these are with the help of an interagency-wholistic effort through the National Task Force-West Philippine Sea," Centino said.

How does this even make sense when all external threats are naval while all internal threats concern the army? What has the Navy been doing all this time? They should have been repelling Chinese vessels from Philippine waters but we all know that has not been the case.

The AFP continues to reward itself for fighting the NPA despite the fact that the NPA remains active. They also say they couldn't do it without the aid of the community. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1205030

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) cited the accomplishments of the Visayas Command (Viscom) in dealing with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) through major armed encounters and strong collaboration with the community.

In a statement Thursday, Viscom said the command received six plaques of recognition of its performance in conducting internal security operations in the Visayas which led to the devastating losses suffered by communist insurgents in the first six months of 2023.

The awards were conferred to different military units in the three central Philippine regions under the operational control of Viscom during a simple ceremony last Tuesday (July 4, 2023) at the AFP General Headquarters in Quezon City.

Two of the awards were conferred to Joint Task Force Storm of the 8th Infantry Division for their major armed encounters against the rebels n Eastern Visayas, while four were conferred to JTF Spear for their major armed engagement with NPA fighters in Western and Central Visayas.

Lt. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, Viscom commander, cited the military units' active community engagement as its major tool to effectively address the insurgency problem in the Visayas.

Arevalo said that based on their inventory, the troops have confiscated a total of 223 firearms of different calibers from the 156 rebels neutralized during the last six months’ internal security operations.

Of the number of rebels neutralized from Jan. 1 to June 30 this year, 103 surrendered, 42 were killed in encounters and 11 were arrested during joint law enforcement operations.

He cited the strong links between the military and the community in the fight to end the insurgency.

"Much of what we have accomplished is the result of our collaboration and active partnership with the community, the local government units, and the different government agencies who are members of the local task force to end local communist armed conflict," Arevalo said.

He also thanked the LGUs and the civil society organizations in the Visayas "for their untiring and overwhelming support."

The Viscom chief assured that "our relentless focused military operations will be sustained, as we continue our quest for the attainment of just and lasting peace in the entire Visayas region.”

He said the awards will serve as an added boost to the morale of the troops, as they continue to exert their efforts in eradicating the CPP-NPA in the Visayas region, at the soonest possible time.

The awards are a "boost to the morale of the troops?" Was morale low? Was there a mutiny brewing? Probably not but hey at least they have all got awards for nothing, or at most a half way done job because the NPA remains a dangerous threat. Don't forget the AFP claimed the "legal fronts are sending in reinforcements" in Negros.

In Northern Samar the AFP is expanding its book drive to fight the insurgency.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1205146

The Philippine Army has expanded its books and school supplies donation drive, covering a remote campus in Catubig, Northern Samar, in a bid to help communities suppress the insurgency.

The donation drive in Roxas village that benefitted 400 learners and out-of-school youth is the fourth school reached by the Philippine Army’s 20th Infantry Battalion (IB).

Lt. Col. Joemar Buban, 20th IB commander, said Friday they donated on July 2 storybooks, school supplies, slippers, and bags containing small toys and goodies. They also turned over reference textbooks to the school teachers of Roxas Elementary School.

After the distribution of gift packs, conduct of parlor games, and storytelling, soldiers also initiated a feeding program that catered to almost the entire village, composed of 290 families with a total population of 1,648.

Dubbed as KinaBOOKasan Project, the initiative is in its second year of reaching conflict-affected areas and geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas since its launch in December 2021.

“This project showcases the commitment to helping the student sector, which is usually exploited and became a victim of the deceptive recruitment of the New People’s Army (NPA), as it aims to put a premium on the continuous learning of the students amidst the challenges of poverty and insurgency,” Buban said.

Roxas village is situated 15 kilometers away from Catubig town center and can be reached through a five-minute motorboat ride and another one-hour single motorcycle ride. The village is hardly accessible during rainy days.

The community is considered one of the conflict-affected villages and was infiltrated by the NPA in Northern Samar through intimidation and extortion.

How exactly does this suppress the insurgency? They never say but it's still good to keep students supplied with learning materials. 

The AFP says the NPA is a spent force in the Cordilleras. 

https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/07/07/regions/reds-a-spent-force-in-cordilleras/1899463

Mayor Darwin Estrañero believes the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) will not be able to recover its influence in the Cordillera region.

In his message during the launching of the Unity Gong Relay in the province, Estrañero said that development in the Cordillera is not possible without peace and stability that is why there was the "alasiw" and the "sipat" or the exchange of peace tokens between the government and the Cordillera People's Liberation Army (CPLA) then headed by the Fr. Conrado Balweg 37 years ago.

On April 7, 1986, the CPLA Lumbaya company led by Fr. Balweg split from the CPP-NPA at the Kili valley in Baclingayan, Tubo, Abra because of differences on ideology where the group was fighting for just cause such as the protection of the lands of the Indigenous peoples, among others.

He narrated that prior to July 15, 1987, then-president Corazon Aquino met with the Cordillera Bodong Administration-CPLA and presided over the alasiw to signify the sipat for the signing of the historic Mount Data peace agreement on Sept. 13, 1986.

The peace agreement paved the way for the cessation of hostilities between the CPLA and the government forces in the Cordillera.

However, the NPA remains active in the region with the AFP saying it is their last bastion in Northern Luzon. 

Governors in the BARMM have raised concerns about the MILF's decommissioning. 

https://mindanao.politics.com.ph/barmm-governors-concerned-over-obscurity-in-milf-fighters-decommissioning/

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) governors have raised concern over the alleged “obscurity” in the decommissioning process of the 40,000 combatants of former rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The BARMM Governors’ Caucus (BGC)-Sulu Facebook page posted that there was a request from the regional governors to review the decommissioning process of the former MILF fighters during their recent meeting with some national government officials led by Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. and Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilbert Teodoro.

It said that Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr. brought up the issue, noting that BARMM has identified 40,000 combatants and 20 percent of them were reported to have been decommissioned already.

“However, no official list of these combatants (was) made known to them for ‘confidentiality reasons’,” the FB post said.

Maguindanao del Sur Governor Mariam Mangudadatu, who raised similar concern, reportedly said that because of the obscurity, the provincial local government units (LGUs) were “unable to keep track of them.”

“The funds being disbursed by the Government to these nameless decommissioned combatants (Php 100,000 per combatant + mobilization expenses) are already too exorbitant to ignore,” BGC-Sulu said.

Mangudadatu reportedly said that the quantity of firearms surrendered did not equate the number of the decommissioned combatants.

BGC-Sulu said Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan, for his part, reportedly suggested that Brigade commanders must be given the opportunity to voice out what is really happening on the ground.

The governors reportedly submitted their position paper on the matter to the DILG and DND officials.

BGC-Sulu said that Teodoro promised to visit the BARMM provinces “to have a more palpable and substantiated report” regarding the issues in the region.

No official list of names, exorbitant amounts of money, and the quantity of firearms does not match the number of decommissioned combatants. Sounds rather fishy. What kind of anomalies would they find if they looked even harder?