Insurgency: Gasping For Breath

The AFP says the NPA has been greatly weakened due to lack of support from the community. It is the community who is informing on the movements and location of the NPA.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1221750

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) is confident the government security forces will soon dismantle the 11 weakened New People's Army guerilla fronts within the year.

This as NTF-ELCAC executive director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. said in a statement on Sunday that the creation of the task force in 2018 is instrumental in the reduction and elimination of so-called "mass bases" that led to the weakening and subsequent dismantling of NPA guerilla fronts.

Torres added that one of the essential characteristics of an NPA-cleared area is the lack of a "mass base" and resource generation capability, which also means that the inhabitants of a cleared locality have no more sympathy toward the communist insurgents.

"This means that the residents there are the ones giving information to security forces of (NPA) attempts to return to community by conducting atrocities or extortion," he added.

Torres' remarks came in response to doubts about the strength and armed capability of the NPA owing to recent encounters between state forces and communist rebels in some parts of the country.

The AFP also claims the CPP-NPA is "grasping for breath" as leaders continue to fall and valuable resources are lost. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1221813

The government continues to win against insurgency in the Visayas this year, with 44 armed encounters leading to the death of 20 New People’s Army (NPA) rebels as of March 31.

There were also 27 fighters who surrendered and four who were apprehended, reported Visayas Command (Viscom) acting commander Commodore Oscar Canlas Jr. on Monday.

“The CPP-NPA (Communist Party of the Philippines- New People’s Army) is now gasping for breath,” he said. “Their leaders continue to fall and they continue to lose valuable resources to foster their armed struggle. As such, we will sustain our momentum and will not allow them from gaining their foothold in the region, ever again.”

Apart from the losses in manpower, Viscom also disclosed that the NPA’s capability has degraded drastically with the seizure of 68 firearms.

“Our efforts will continue to be relentless,” Canlas said, calling on NPA remnants to surrender while they still can. “We will not hesitate to use our full military might to subdue the few remaining members of the terrorist group.” 

Recently the AFP clashed with the NPA in Abra. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/4/2/troops-npa-clash-in-abra

The 50th Infantry Battalion and the New People’s Army (NPA) clashed on Tuesday morning, April 2, in Barangay Nagcanasan, Pilar, Abra.

The 50th IB was conducting a security operation when they engaged members of the NPA-North Abra Guerilla Field Committee (KLG-North Abra) under the Ilocos Cordillera Regional Committee (ICRC) led by Maria Luisa Purcray, a native of Northern Mindanao.

The encounter lasted for about five minutes before the communist guerrillas withdrew. This band of NPA rebels was first monitored in the tri-boundaries of Abra-Kalinga-Apayao.

One soldier was reportedly wounded.

Major Gen. Audrey L. Pasia, commander of the 5th Infantry Division, said this is their fifth encounter with NPA in Abra this year.

Pasia added they are ready to implement their mandate to hunt down and dismantle them if they continue their terrorist activities.

He said this is their fifth encounter with the NPA in Abra this year.

Pasia said they continue to discover NPA encampments in the area daily. “This is proof that these rebels continue to evade authorities as a result of combat and social pressures being conducted by the Abra Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict."

The 5th ID that covers the Ilocos region said  they welcome any NPA rebel willing to lay down their arms and return to the fold of the law.

Pilar Mayor Christopher Beroña said residents living near the encounter site have been evacuated to the municipal gymnasium.

Residents of the area urged prayers from netizens for their safety shortly after the gun battle erupted.

Interestingly it was local residents who gave the AFP the EXACT location of the NPA.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1221912

A military official based in Abra cited locals’ efforts to help address the insurgency problem by reporting the presence of New People’s Army (NPA) members in Pilar, Abra, which resulted in military operations on Tuesday.

"The people did not just report their (rebels’) presence but gave their exact location,” Major Bryan Albano, chief of the Civil Military Operations of the 501st Infantry Brigade based in Lagangilang, Abra said in a phone interview Wednesday.

"Gone were the days when people tolerated their presence due to fear,” he pointed out.

How is it locals knew the exact location and the AFP did not? 

President Marcos has ordered the prompt implementation of the amnesty program.

https://mb.com.ph/2024/4/4/marcos-orders-prompt-implementation-of-amnesty-program-for-remaining-rebels

President Marcos has ordered the immediate implementation of the amnesty program for the remaining members of communist groups in the country.

Marcos made the directive during  a National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) executive committee meeting on Thursday, April 4.

"The President has directed the immediate implementation of the amnesty program to the remaining members of the CPP-NPA-NDF (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front) since Congress has already concurred with the proclamation," National Security Adviser Secretary Eduardo Año said in a Palace briefing.

He has also expanded the program to include 1,500 more NPA rebels. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1926478/govt-expanding-amnesty-program-for-reds-eyes-1500-more-npas

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the expansion of the government’s amnesty program to include around 1,500 communist rebels who have yet to lay down their arms and return to the fold of the law.

The President gave the directive during an executive meeting of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) on Thursday afternoon in Malacañang.

“The President has directed the immediate implementation of the amnesty program for the remaining members of the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People’s Army and National Democratic Front since Congress has already concurred with the proclamation,” National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said in a Palace press briefing.

Año was referring to Proclamation No. 404 issued by Marcos last year, which granted amnesty to former communist rebels who already surrendered their arms.

According to the presidential adviser on the peace process, Carlito Galvez Jr., Proclamation No. 404 only covered around 40,000 ex-rebels who already surrendered to the government.

The expanded coverage ordered by the President for the remaining 1,576 rebels will be contained in another proclamation once the government and the communist insurgents conclude their peace talks.

“It will be a separate proclamation. The proclamation we have now is only for the 40,000 who surrendered. Just in case we already have a final peace agreement, that’s when we will have a new proclamation,” Galvez told reporters in an interview after the press briefing.

In November last year, the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines agreed to pursue a “principled and peaceful resolution” to the decades-old leftist insurgency and address its root causes.

Galvez explained that amnesty was usually granted to rebels after the conclusion of the peace negotiations.

The government expects an initial 1,500 communist rebels to apply and benefit from the expanded amnesty once Malacañang has formalized the offer.

“That’s just the initial applicants. You know how Filipinos are. They will first see if it’s a good deal for them. Once they realize that it will become favorable to them, many will apply,” Galvez said.

As was previously noted those who wish to apply must download a form from the internet. The challenge for the government is informing those eligible.