Insurgency: Government Sees Total Victory vs Reds

 Here we go again. The AFP is telling one of its divisions to end the insurgency.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1218424

Newly installed battalion commanders of the 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) of the Philippine Army have received marching orders to finish the insurgency in Panay.

In a press release Wednesday, 3ID commander, Maj. Gen. Marion R. Sison, said he has directed Lt. Col. Jovert Pimentel, new commander of the 82nd Infantry Battalion (82IB) who assumed office on Monday, and Lt. Col. Vicel Jan Garsuta, new commander of the 12IB who assumed office on Tuesday, to work closely with local government units (LGUs) and stakeholders to dismantle the remaining guerrilla fronts in Panay Island.

“It is crucial to coordinate, cooperate, and maintain open communication with our partners, as they play a vital role in helping us bring an end to the insurgency in Panay,” Sison said.

Describing Panay as a “sleeping dragon and the remaining bastion of the communist terrorist group,” he said, “It is essential to recognize that the resolution of this problem requires not only military action but also the effective implementation of Task Force ELCAC (End Local Communist Armed Conflict) as the best solution."

“Finish the fight! That's my first order. Lick the enemy, totally decimate and eradicate them, in coordination with the LGUs, civil society organizations, the private, religious, and the business sectors, to establish just and lasting peace in Panay,” Sison said

"Finish the fight!" That is what they have been saying for 50 years. 

United Nations Special Rapporteur Irene Khan recently visited the Philippines and advised that the NTF-ELCAC be abolished.  Of course all the security agencies were incensed. 

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/02/07/2331555/government-sees-total-victory-vs-reds-end-ntf-elcac

The government expects to achieve “total victory” over communist rebels this year, which will mean the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) will no longer be needed, the assistant director general of the National Security Council said yesterday.

Jonathan Malaya noted that the communists have only 11 remaining weakened guerrilla fronts left nationwide, “which was impossible five years ago.”

The Department of Justice (DOJ) also said yesterday that the NTF-ELCAC would eventually be turned into a peace and security council.

DOJ spokesman Mico Clavano said this is the government’s plan for the task force, to be done in phases.

“For now, we want to get rid of guerrilla fronts and the violence we are seeing in Mindanao, but eventually we will have a peace and security council whose purpose is to maintain the peace we have achieved so far,” he said in an interview.

“From NTF-ELCAC, it will now be turned to a peace and security council when the time is right,” Clavano added.

The DOJ issued the remark in response to the recommendation of United Nations Special Rapporteur Irene Khan to abolish the NTF-ELCAC. She made the recommendation as she concluded her 10-day visit in the Philippines.

Khan also said the government should come up with an actual policy that will prevent red-tagging against innocent civilians.

In response, Clavano said the government should first define the crime of red-tagging, saying there is no clear definition of what it really is.

“In criminal law, if we don’t know what is prohibited, this cannot turn into criminal law because that will create a chilling effect,” he said.

“So we have to first define the means and bounds of this so-called crime, this red-tag, and then turn it into law,” he added.

During her meeting with DOJ officials last month, Khan raised concerns on red-tagging and impunity of media personnel.

DOJ officials said red-tagging is not a policy of the government.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur Irene Khan said the government should stop red-tagging which prompted officials to say that it is not government policy and they have no "clear definition" what red-tagging is.  The Supreme Court cleared that up a long time ago. 

https://verafiles.org/articles/vera-files-fact-sheet-why-red-tagging-dangerous

“the act of labelling, branding, naming and accusing individuals and/ or organizations of being left-leaning, subversives, communists or terrorists (used as) a strategy…by State agents, particularly law enforcement agencies and the military, against those perceived to be ‘threats’ or ‘enemies of the State’.”

Are they not paying attention or are they simply lying?

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace says amnesty is the key to ending the insurgency. Again.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1218405

Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. on Wednesday emphasized the importance of granting amnesty to members of revolutionary groups who have committed crimes in pursuit of their political beliefs.

“Amnesty does not only extinguish criminal liability for the acts committed by these former rebels. It creates a path toward their full transformation and enables them to return to mainstream society,” Galvez said in a statement.

During Tuesday's hearing of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace Unification and Reconciliation, the government's peace adviser also said amnesty would be the key to building a better and brighter future for members of revolutionary groups, their families, and their communities.

Galvez also noted that despite the strong desire of members of these revolutionary groups to be productive citizens in their communities, the "looming threat of legal repercussions" limits them from doing so.

“They are torn between their desire to turn a new leaf, on one hand, and be held accountable for their political mistakes, on the other,” he said.

Galvez was among the rebel soldiers who were granted amnesty by the late president Fidel V. Ramos for his involvement in the 1989 coup attempt against the late president Corazon Aquino.

Galvez said he and his co-officers experienced the "transformative power of amnesty" as they were not only forgiven by the state but were also reinstated in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and were able to continue their career in public service after their retirement in the military.

Amnesty "creates a path toward their full transformation and enables them to return to mainstream society" says the government.  Perhaps. That is why they keep building housing for former rebels. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1218279

To ensure that former rebels will not return to armed struggle, the local government of Can-avid in Eastern Samar assured Monday to provide them with decent homes.

Mayor Vilma Germino issued the statement following the groundbreaking of the “Saad na Balay” (promised houses) project to benefit former members of the New People’s Army.

Germino said at least 10 houses, each worth PHP272,642 and designed half-concrete and half-fiber boards, will be initially built for the former rebels in Can-avid, she said.

“The goal is to provide a decent home to former rebels and encourage remaining active New People’s Army members to surrender and reintegrate into the normal community,” she said.

The project is a collaborative effort between the provincial and municipal governments, the Philippine Army, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

As part of the project, beneficiaries will receive training from TESDA for carpentry and masonry skills, making them the primary workforce during the construction of their homes.

They will be enrolled in the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantage/Displaced Workers program of the DOLE to provide them with income during the construction phase.

Livelihood assistance and other capacity-building interventions will also be provided to them.

Before the groundbreaking ceremony, OPAPRU Area Management Unit-Eastern Visayas chief Imelda Bonifacio told stakeholders and beneficiaries that the project is beyond physical structures.

“The focus of the ‘Saad Na Balay’ project aims to promote peace and resilience within the community. By engaging in dialogue and consultations with project beneficiaries, OPAPRU ensures a conflict-sensitive approach that aligns with its mission,” Bonifacio said. 

Who knew that building "decent homes" is key to ending the insurgency?  Hopefully they are not built out of light materials that will go up with a single spark.

Those who do not surrender will be killed.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1218312

Two New People’s Army (NPA) members were killed in a clash with government soldiers in Barangay Tuburan, Cawayan town in Masbate province on Monday, the Philippine Army (PA) said.

In an interview, Maj. Frank Roldan, 9th Infantry Division (9ID) Public Affairs Office chief, identified the suspects as Florencia Ygot Regala and Pedro Regala.

"The troops of the second Infantry Battalion encountered 10 members of the New People's Army (NPA) that lasted for eight minutes in Purok 5, Barangay Tuburan, Cawayan, Masbate. The slain rebels were members of Platoon 1, Komiteng Larangan Guerilla South, Sub Regional Committee 4," Roldan said.

Authorities also recovered from the site one M16 rifle, one caliber .38 revolver, one homemade shotgun, five cellular phones and backpacks belonging to the rebels.

Roldan said no casualties were recorded on the part of the government.

The troops, he said, are still scouring the encounter site and follow-up operations will be immediately conducted.

"The enhanced intensification of operations in Bicol against the communist terrorist groups is in response to the confidence the Bicolanos give to our soldiers to end insurgency problem in the region," Roldan said.

The AFP is still discovering NPA arms caches. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/2/7/npa-camp-arms-cache-discovered

Soldiers captured a New People’s Army arms cache in Sitio Dau, Barangay Balbalan Proper, Balbalan, Kalinga on Monday, February 5.

Lt. Col. Joel V. Lucas, 103rd Infantry Battalion chief, said residents informed them of the location of the weapons stash owned by the Kilusang Larangang Gerilya (KLG) Baggas, Ilocos Cordillera Regional Committee (ICRC).

Troops found an M14 rifle with two magazine assemblies and 22 bullets and one M1 Garand rifle with two clip assemblies and 16 bullets.

Lucas said they also found an encampment in the area occupied by communist rebels nine months ago.

“We will continuously conduct this kind of operation to end the insurgency in the Cordillera region and all the neighboring regions around the country that are being infested by the manipulative armed Communist Terrorist Group (CTG),” said Lucas.

And, despite the AFP sying the NPA is leaderless, top leaders continue to be killed.

https://mb.com.ph/2024/2/10/2-top-npa-leaders-killed-in-leyte-gun-fight

Two New People's Army leaders were killed in an encounter on Saturday, February 10, in Barangay Tinag-an, Albuera, Leyte.

Brig. Gen. Noel Vestuir, commander of the 802nd Infantry Brigade, identified the fatalities as Rolando Caballera, an executive committee member and a high-value target, and Crispolo Agunos Jr., a member of the Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee.

Vestuir said they were killed in a 15-minute firefight with the 93rd Infantry (Bantay Kapayapaan) Battalion responding to reports from civilians regarding the presence of the NPA in the area.

He said they were extorting from civilians and planning to kill unwary uniformed personnel and former rebels. 

As a member of the executive committee, Caballera masterminded the killings of former comrades who surrendered to authorities. 

He had standing warrants of arrest for various crimes and 15 counts of murder issued by the Regional Trial Court, Branch 18 in Hilongos, Leyte.

"The death of these two notorious NPA terrorists is a result of the firm resolve and commitment of our people to prevent the recovery efforts of the remnants of IC-LEVOX in their community. Through the timely information provided by some residents, we have pinpointed the area where these terrorists hide. Indeed, we attain the situation that the people are inhospitable to these NPA terrorists," Vestuir said.

He urged families of the slain NPA to claim their remains once their identification is finished to give them a decent burial.

Vestuir said the encounter will lead to more intensified operations against the NPA in Leyte. "We want them to surrender, otherwise, we will hunt them down," he said.

He said that with the death of another top NPA leader in their area of responsibility, it is imminent that the fighters under IC-LEVOX will be demoralized and their will to fight will be weakened. 

Again the death of NPA leadership means "it is imminent" that the reaming fighters "will be demoralized and their will to fight will be weakened." But the reality is the NPA continues to fight and new leaders rise to the top.