Samar has been a hot bed of insurgent activity since the beginning of the communist rebellion. It remains one of the last major strongholds of the NPA though their influence is quickly waning. Now the first town in Samar has been declared rebel-free.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1215578 |
The town of Pagsanghan in Samar is the first area on the island declared free from threats by the New People’s Army (NPA) with no sightings of armed rebels in the past seven years.
The Philippine Army and the local government unit of Pagsanghan jointly declared on Monday that the town had stable internal peace and security.
Key officials signed a deal “solidifying the collaborative efforts” to sustain peace gains.
Philippine Army 803rd Infantry Brigade commander Brig. Gen. Efren Morados said the absence of any monitored communist terrorist group activities for seven years signifies progress made in eliminating insurgency.
“The achievement of stable internal peace and security in Pagsanghan is a testament to the relentless efforts and unwavering commitment of the army in partnership with the local government and community members. The milestone achievement in Pagsanghan is a result of the combined determination, sacrifice, and resilience exhibited by all stakeholders involved,” Morados added.
The local government also declared the NPA persona non-grata through a resolution passed by the town council.
Morados urged other towns in Samar to earn the same status to “help erase the stigma that Samar is a stronghold of insurgency.”
“The road to achieving peace is not an easy one. It needs strong collaboration between leaders, government forces, and citizens. Vigilance and cooperation are required to maintain the peace we fought so hard to achieve,” Morados added.
Pagsanghan Mayor Sed Hendrix Tan said the declaration confirms the result of the survey that 99 percent of town residents feel that they are safe.
“The army assured us that they will still help secure our area even if we are declared to have stable internal peace and security,” Tan said.
One must wonder why it only took seven years for this declaration. The AFP has been known to declare towns rebel-free after only a few months of no rebel sightings. So, what's next for this town? Will it be developed into a tourist area? Perhaps the AFP will show up playing Santa Claus.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1215652 |
Soldiers brought Christmas cheers to a previously rebel-influenced remote village in Eastern Samar as part of their effort to block the recovery attempts of the New People’s Army (NPA).
Troops of the 78th Infantry Battalion under the 802nd Infantry Brigade sang Christmas carols and gave gifts to poor families, senior citizens, and children in San Mateo village in Borongan City, Eastern Samar on Dec. 18.
Philippine Army 802nd Infantry Brigade commander Brig. Gen. Noel Vestuir said in a phone interview Tuesday that the activity served as a way of sharing some blessings with the poor in the form of Noche Buena packages.
Donated goods were raised out of the soldiers’ contribution of a one-day meal allowance each.
“When collected, we were able to raise a considerable amount to buy Noche Buena packages. Some stakeholders and friends of the brigade have also contributed additional cash for the gift-giving,” Vestuir said.
The singing of Christmas carols and “Santa patrol” in the former NPA mass base area aim to secure the people and prevent the recovery efforts of the NPA remnants, according to the official.
Soldiers wore Santa caps while singing carols and giving Christmas gifts. food packs and candies to children.
“We are grateful for the voluntary donation of our troops as a way of sharing the blessings that they received with our less fortunate brothers and sisters who have less time to enjoy the festiveness of the Christmas season,” Vestuir added.
The remote communities of Borongan City used to be one of the centers of NPA terrorist activities in Samar Island.
If these communities are no longer rebel-influenced why have they not been declared rebel-free?
Recently a cache of NPA arms was found in Samar.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1215698 |
Soldiers unearthed on Tuesday an arms cache of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the upland village of Basey, Samar.
In a phone interview Wednesday, Philippine Army 802nd Infantry Brigade commander Brig. Gen. Noel Vestuir said the arms cache consisted of three M16 and two AK47 assault rifles.
“Our troops traced the location of firearms through a tip from a former member of Militia ng Bayan (MB). They hid these firearms when our soldiers conducted a community support program in the area,” Vestuir told the Philippine News Agency.
MB members are individuals who have been indoctrinated and may or may not be directly involved in armed struggle, but when organized, they could provide mass support to the revolutionary movement of the communist terrorist group.
“Mabini village has been cleared from NPA threats, but rebels have been coming back as part of their recovery attempts. We are committed to keep peace in the area,” Vestuir added.
The army is largely counting on regular dialogues between local authorities and family members of active NPA to encourage more rebels to surrender and to recover more firearms in Samar provinces.
The village in which these weapons were found "has been cleared from NPA threats, but rebels have been coming back as part of their recovery attempts." Wouldn't that mean the village is not actually cleared from NPA threats? Truly the AFP's requirements for being rebel-free or free from rebel threats are known only to the initiated.
While AFP soldiers in Samar are fighting the insurgency by donning Santa hats and singing carols their colleagues elsewhere are actually fighting the NPA.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1876551/6-rebels-soldier-killed-in-batangas-clash |
At least six alleged communist New People’s Army (NPA) and a government soldier were killed in an encounter early Sunday morning (Dec. 17) in Balayan town in Batangas province, the military said.
Lieutenant Colonel Hector Estolas, public affairs office chief of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division, in a report said patrolling soldiers from 59th Infantry Battalion engaged a band of NPA rebels in Barangay (village) Malalay early dawn.
The military claimed that six communist guerillas were slain in the clash. The soldiers recovered two M16 rifles, one M653 rifle and one shotgun from the clash site.
The report disclosed that an Army soldier was also killed and three others were wounded during the encounter. The wounded were taken to a hospital in the locality.
In a separate statement, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. condoled with the family of the slain soldier, as well as those wounded, as he also committed to assisting them during this difficult time.
He added that the three other soldiers were already in a hospital recovering from their injuries.
Likewise, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez expressed his deepest sympathies to the affected families and appealed to NPA members “to abandon the path of violence and rejoin the fold of the law.”
“This loss is a profound reminder of the sacrifices our armed forces make to ensure our nation’s security. We also keep in our thoughts those who were wounded in this incident, and we join the Executive Department in assuring their families of the government’s full support during this difficult time,” he said in another statement.
The slain soldier was later identified as Sgt. Jernell Ramillano. Vice President Sara Duterte, who has been very vocal against peace talks with the NDFP-CPP-NPA as well as amnesty (does she not realize her father granted amnesty when he was President and that the NTF-ELCAC of which she is co-vice chair is an amnesty and bribery program?), says his killers are traitors and used his death to once again rail against the proposed peace talks.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2023/12/21/a-traitor-vp-duterte-slams-npa-rebels-after-soldier-s-death-in-batangas |
Vice President Sara Duterte turned her ire on the New People’s Army (NPA) over the death of Sgt. Jernell Ramillano, who died during a gunfight with the armed rebels she referred to as “traitors.”
In a video message on Thursday night, Dec. 21, the official condoled with the soldier’s family and slammed the NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).
“We wholeheartedly recognize and give honor to the courage, heroism, and service of) Sgt. Jernell Ramillano,” she said.
Ramillano, according to a Facebook post of the Civil Relations Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), died during a clash against the NPA rebels in Balayan, Batangas last Dec. 17, 2023. Three other soldiers were wounded.
“Sgt. Ramillano was one of the victims of the heinous actions of the terrorists CPP, NPA, and NDFP. His family was among the thousands of families who lost their loved ones,” Duterte added.
The Vice President recalled what happened in her hometown of Davao City in 2018 when 1st Lt. Jaren Relota died after fighting with the NPA.
She shared that Relota’s mother asked her: “Inday Sara, how many more of our children need to die because of the terrorist NPA?”
Duterte lamented that there would be many more like Ramillano and Relota who would continue to risk their lives with the presence of CPP, NPA, and NDFP.
“Many more youth will not be able to finish their studies if we will allow them to fall victims to these groups who recruit them to become armed terrorists,” she said.
“To my fellow Filipinos, I want you to know that the goal of the CPP, NPA, and NDFP is to destroy the foundation of our democracy, bring down government institutions, and bring us to poverty, chaos, and injustice,” Duterte, also the co-vice chair of National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), stressed.
While her outrage at the NPA is well directed her statements are fundamentally wrong. First of all the Philippines is a Republic and in the past 54 years the nation has kept on trucking with the only real chaos and disruption being that of the Marcos dictatorship and his subsequent ouster. Second of all the NPA is not the only armed insurgency group causing havoc. The Islamic insurgency is still going strong and I have noted in this ongoing series the BARMM is a merely for show as the head of the BARMM Ebrahim Murad has said decommissioning is not surrender. Third of all the massive amount of corruption plaguing every single government institution from the local to the nation level is a threat far worse than the dwindling NPA could ever hope to be. Fourth of all China's aggression and stealing of Philippine territory in the WPS (Sara remains silent on this issue) is an existential threat to the security of the Philippines that will no doubt come to a head in the near future.
Sara has been vocal about her objections to peace talks with the NDFP apparently not realizing peace talks have not been authorized. It is the POSSIBILITY of peace talks that are being explored. In the meantime the AFP has said they will not stop fighting the NPA.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1215559 |
Department of National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. vowed the government would continue to pursue and eradicate terrorist groups, following the killing of a soldier in a clash with New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Batangas over the weekend.
"The AFP will not stop in eradicating terrorist groups which pose a threat to our country," Teodoro said in a statement Sunday.
The AFP has not changed its stance even since the possibility of peace talks has been revived. They remain committed to eradicating the NPA. Peace talks, if they do happen, will never change that fact.
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