Insurgency: NPA Losing Manpower

Several areas in the Philippines have been declared free from NPA influence.  First up is Samar which has been an NPA stronghold for many years. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1224143

The three Samar provinces are now free from the influence of the New People's Army (NPA) after years of whole-of-nation efforts against insurgency.

During a peace and development dialogue at the provincial capitol here Monday, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. lauded local officials and government forces for their efforts to eradicate armed struggle.

"I would like to commend the police, military, governors, mayors, and village officials for their efforts. The true test is that if our government forces leave, the rebels will not be able to recover," Abalos said.

Philippine Army's 8th Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Camilo Ligayo said no single village in three Samar provinces is under the influence of NPA this year.

"They are roving bandits with no support from any village officials and locals. Those running in the mountains are remnants of NPA fronts and units," Ligayo said.

The military earlier reported that about 1,000 communities in Eastern Visayas were influenced by the NPA before the formation of the task force to end local communist armed conflict in 2018. Most of these areas are in the three Samar provinces.

Northern Samar Governor Edwin Ongchuan said in their province, those who surrendered have been organized into peacebuilders, employed as farm workers, and provided with free housing.

"These interventions encouraged NPA members to surrender and become peacebuilders," Ongchuan said.

To date, there are 50 former rebels in Northern Samar listed as farm workers, earning a PHP350 daily wage.

They have been planting crops within a four-hectare farmland in Cablagan village in Mondragon town, the same site where houses for former rebels will be built.

Meanwhile, Ongchuan asked the national government to build a circumferential road in the tri-boundaries of Samar to ensure the sustainability of anti-insurgency efforts.

"We are the last bastion of insurgency and ending insurgency is a big challenge, especially in the boundaries of three Samar provinces," he said.

The proposed road will connect the towns of Silvino Lubos and Las Navas in Northern Samar to Matuguinao in Samar and Jipapad in Eastern Samar.

This does not mean there are no NPA fighters in the area. The DILG admits guerrillas are still present. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1938143/dilg-says-northern-samar-free-of-guerrillas-npas

While there are still sightings of seven roving vertical formations of the New People’s Army in the province, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said that the barangays are no longer supporting these CTGs.

A solider was killed during a recent clash in Samar. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1224078

The Philippine Army has paid tribute to the heroism of Cpl. Arvien Pajanustan, who was killed in a clash with members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Matuguinao, Samar on Saturday.

“He offered the ultimate sacrifice, while serving the people of Samar to attain lasting peace,” Capt. Jefferson Mariano, spokesperson of the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division, said on Monday.

Pajanustan, one of the troopers of the Army’s 19th Infantry Battalion based in Catubig, Northern Samar died during a clash past 2 p.m. on May 4 with a group of 10 rebels led by a certain Tigeo Dela Cruz in the upland village of San Roque in Matuguinao town.

The soldier died at the encounter site after a bullet hit his neck, according to Mariano.

“San Roque village is isolated and there were recent reports of sightings of rebels, prompting us to include the area in our focused military operations,” Mariano added.

Pajanustan, 27, is a native of Taft, Eastern Samar. He and his wife, a public school teacher, have two young children.

In a statement, Matuguinao Mayor Aran Boller said the heroism of the fallen soldier will never be forgotten by the townspeople.

“I strongly condemn the atrocity and inhumane act of communist terrorist group that led to the death of Pajanustan,” Boller said.

Matuguinao is a fifth-class town in Samar province with a population of 7,288 people. The town is 105 kilometers from Tacloban City, the regional capital.

Almost all of its 20 villages used to be influenced by the New People’s Army (NPA). At present, all communities are free from NPA influence, although four villages are under monitoring for recovery attempts by rebels, according to the local government. 

If there are still NPA roving around what good is it to declare Samar free from NPA influence?

An NPA front in Panay has been dismantled. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1224125

The Philippine Army has dismantled the Southern Panay Front (SPF) of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Panay that will pave the way for the declaration of a Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS) in the island.

“SPF was declared dismantled at the level of 3ID last April 8 and approved by Visayas Command on April 15. We are now waiting for the NJPSCC (National Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Center) to officially declare SPF as dismantled. But this is already approved in principle,” 3rd Division Public Affairs Office (DPAO) chief Lt. Col. J-Jay Javines said on Monday.

The remnants with a squad size are no longer capable of a tactical offensive since they have no man and firepower, Javines said.

With their SPF relegated, their efforts are now focused on breaking up the Central Front (CF) followed by the Regional Sentro De Gravidad (RSDG) and the Komiteng Rehiyon-Panay (KR-Panay) so they could recommend Panay as SIPS, Javines said.

The CF is around 30 in number and could reach up to 50, including the regional force, Javines said.

He said they are optimistic in declaring the SIPS in Panay similar to Negros Occidental.

“The declaration of SIPS is a symbol of concerted efforts of the military, Philippine National Police, local government units, other agencies, and the people to manifest that there is no longer the threat of insurgency. That the people realized that the NPA is already negligible,” he said.

Again, the AFP has declared victory while admitting there are still NPA remnants roving around. How is this front dismantled if there are remnants? How many soldiers will be killed in clashes with the remntans of this dismantled front? 

The AFP says the NPA is losing manpower and influence in Northern Mindanao and Caraga. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1224151

The Philippine Army declared that the communist rebels' influence and armed personnel are "disintegrating" in Northern Mindanao and Caraga regions, which fall under the 4th Infantry Division (4ID) area of responsibility.

In a statement on Monday, Major General Jose Maria R. Cuerpo II 4ID commander, said that military brigade units reporting successful operations against the communist New People's Army (NPA) often led to a series of surrenders, with the help of the community residents providing information, which isolated the rebel groups.

Cuerpo noted that the surrender of NPA leaders would create a ripple effect within a rebel unit, prompting disintegration as leaderless low-ranking members follow suit and turn themselves in.

"These recent series of surrenders manifest the realization of the low-ranking members of their group's eventual collapse, as they are crumbling and in total disarray," the Army official said.

The 403rd Infantry Brigade facilitated the latest surrender on May 3, negotiating the surrender of nine NPA combatants in Bukidnon province to the Army's 88th and 26 infantry battalions.

Meanwhile, on the same day, two other NPA combatants, identified as Tony Lindaan Taquin and Rian Pid-ak Pedyaan, also surrendered to Army forces at the boundary of Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur provinces.

The two rebels brought along with them an M16 rifle and an M79 grenade launcher during their surrender.

The basis for this declaration is the surrendering of NPA leaders. But, as seen elsewhere, this by no means indicates that there are no NPAs or that they cannot launch tactical offensives.

Finally, a town in Southern Leyte has been declared under a state of Stable Internal Peace and Security Condition.  

https://mb.com.ph/2024/5/7/town-in-southern-leyte-declared-under-sips-status

The municipality of Bontoc in Southern Leyte has been declared under a state of Stable Internal Peace and Security Condition. 

The Municipal Task Force-ELCAC declared the entire municipality under SIPSC on Monday, May 6, through Municipal Peace and Order Council Resolution No. 1 and Sangguniang Bayan Resolution No. 101.

The declaration marks the readiness of the municipality to take the lead in sustaining the gains of a peaceful community.

Brig. Gen. Noel Vestuir, commander of the 802nd Infantry (Peerless) Brigade, lauded the local government unit of Bontoc for their commitment and collective stand to maintain a safe environment for residents and prevent the resurgence and recovery efforts of the New People's Army.

He cited the collaborative efforts between the LGU and the community in achieving the SIPS Condition status.

"With our declaration of Bontoc as a Stable Internal Peace and Security Condition, we have delivered a strong message that indeed, we are united in our quest to end the local communist armed conflict as well as in maintaining a peaceful and secured environment being enjoyed now by the peace-loving people of Bontoc," Vestuir said.

Mayor Noel Alinsub thanked stakeholders who helped in attaining the conditions for the declaration. "The positive impact of this success will be the progress and development of our municipality and the welfare of our constituents."

Now, contrast the AFP's declaration of these four areas to be either insurgent free or to have a weak NPA presence with the assertion that the NPA continues to recruit members. If the NPA is still recruiting and poses a threat to students then either these declarations of peace and stability are lies or the claim that the NPA is still recruiting in any meaningful way is a lie. Both cannot be true.