Insurgency: Army Eyes Total Defeat of NPA

The contradictions continue with the AFP's claims about the number of NPA and NPA supporters neutralized between January 1st and August 8th. Last week the NTF-ELCAC claimed 1.9k had surrendered in the first half of the year. This week the number is much lower. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1972250/afp-1367-npa-rebels-supporters-neutralized-from-jan-aug-8

More than 1,300 New People’s Army rebels and their supporters have been “neutralized” since January this year, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said.

AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said 1,367 members of the NPA, which the military labels as a communist terrorist group (CTG), and their supporters were killed in separate operations and encounters nationwide from January 1 to August 8.

“There are a total of 1,367 CTG members and supporters that we neutralized, but it is important to note that we have many surrenderees. So 1,169 surrendered to authorities, 101 were apprehended, and 97 were killed,” Padilla said in an interview during the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas on Tuesday.

Padilla also said that in the same period, 176 members of Daulah Islamiyah and Abu Sayaff Group were “neutralized.” The figure included 124 who surrendered, six who were arrested, and 46 who were killed, she noted.

The AFP previously reported that the number of guerrilla fronts nationwide decreased from 11 to seven since the start of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration.

Padilla explained that these units have been considered as weakened, which means that they can no longer implement programs like recruitment and generate resources to support their armed struggle.

According to the AFP in Bicol alone over 2 thousand NPA rebels and supporters have been neutralised in the past two years.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1231096

The Philippine Army's 9th Infantry Division (9ID) neutralized more than 2,100 members and supporters of communist terrorist groups (CTGs) across the Bicol Region for the past two years under the Marcos administration.

During Tuesday's Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas forum held at Camp Angeles Elias here, 9ID Commander Maj. Gen. Noe Alberto Peñafiel said from June 30, 2022, to Aug. 13 this year, they conducted 136 internal security operations in the six provinces of Bicol.

Peñafiel said out of the 2,174 neutralized, 60 were killed, 23 were captured during the encounters, 47 were arrested and 478 surrendered.

Meanwhile, 1,566 supporters of CTGs withdrew their support while 452 assorted firearms and 419 anti-personnel mines were also seized.

Peñafiel said they are focused on some areas in the provinces of Sorsogon, Camarines Sur (4th District), Albay (3rd District) and Masbate.

"That's where the movement is but they still have an area they're circling. That's where we're focusing on," he said.

These numbers do not add up. I have discussed that point many times and I will not be rehashing that here. Notice that the AFP once again affirms the NPA is so weak they cannot recruit. That is important because the AFP says the NPA is recruiting.  However, they are not recruiting in the Western Visayas.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1231077

The top official of the 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) of the Philippine Army on Tuesday said no rebel recruitment activities have been monitored in schools and universities in Western Visayas.

During the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas, 3ID commander Maj. Gen. Marion Sison said their intelligence reports showed no new students are joining as armed fighters of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF).

“There is really that hardship on the part of the CPP-NPA-NDF on recruitment, especially of our students and youth. That is why they have no new cadres. As of now, we have not monitored any recruitment, which is why the NPA has no additional manpower,” Sison said.

For the past two years, he said the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF ELCAC) has been visiting schools and universities, prioritizing those “accordingly with recruitment.”

They visited mostly schools in Iloilo, including the West Visayas State University (WVSU), Aklan State University in Aklan, and other schools in Roxas City in Capiz.

Sison said there was no reported recruitment in the WVSU-Calinog Campus and the Puti-an National High School in Cuartero, Capiz, both mentioned by the Philippine National Police (PNP) as alleged recruitment grounds of the CPP-NPA.

“As far as the Philippine Army is concerned, we did not see any recruitment in the mentioned schools,” he said.

With the difficulty in their recruitment of students, the NPAs are also targeting the indigenous people’s community, he said.

However, Sison said it would also be hard for the rebel group since government troops are not leaving the mountains anytime soon.

“We co-locate with the enemy, but we will not co-exist. It is only the Philippine Army that will exist,” he said.

How is it that the AFP and PNP have differing intel on NPA recruitment activities? If the government is taking a whole-of-nation approach to defeat the NPA then data should be shared across all agencies including the AFP, PNP, NICA, and NTF-ELCAC.

There has been a lot of success this year in the fight against the NPA. The number of weakened guerilla fronts has been reduced to 5. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1231191

National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo Año said Wednesday the New People's Army's (NPA) force continues to dwindle, with its weakened guerilla fronts now down to five.

In a statement, Año said this is a further decline from the seven weakened guerrilla fronts earlier stated by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in its first-semester report.

"We are confident that we will be able to finish the armed component. The AFP's target is to end them by December 2024. It's just August," the former AFP chief said when asked how confident the government is in attaining total victory against the communist insurgency.

All the fronts in North Mindanao have been dismantled. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1231089

The Philippine Army has declared the Northern Mindanao region free from communist guerilla fronts.

During the media briefing on Tuesday, Major General Jose Maria Cuerpo, commander of the 4th Infantry Division (4ID), said the Army unit's areas of responsibility (AOR) include Caraga Region and portions of Northern Mindanao or Region 10.

"We only had one weakened Guerilla Front 30 in Surigao area, but we are happy to say that this week, we had our presentation to the Unified Command to dismantle the weakened guerilla front," he said.

As of Tuesday, Cuerpo said the 4ID no longer has guerilla fronts within its AOR in Northern Mindanao and Caraga regions because all were dismantled.

Brigadier Gen. Michele Anayron, commander of the 403rd Infantry Brigade in Bukidnon, said the NPA's strength in the province has been reduced by 72 percent since July 1, 2022.

Anayron said one of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s mandates is to integrate rebel surrenderers called "friends rescued" back to mainstream society.

Likewise, the NPA has been dismantled in Caraga. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1231106

The massive operations implemented by three Philippine Army infantry brigades have resulted in the dismantling of structures of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) and the weakening of its fighting capabilities in the Caraga region.

The 402nd Infantry Brigade (402Bde), the 401Bde, and the 901Bde reported this during Tuesday's Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas press forum in this city.

Brig. Gen. Adonis Ariel Orio, commander of 402Bde, said his command confronted the NPA’s North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC).

“The 402Bde has three battalions: the 23rd Infantry Battalion (IB), the 28IB, and the 58IB. We cover the areas of West Butuan City, four towns in Agusan del Norte all in the Caraga Region, and parts of Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, and Camiguin in Northern Mindanao region,” Orio said.

Starting in 2021, he said, the brigade confronted the forces of NCMRC and its operating formations, supported by 188 rebels and 249 firearms. Through focused military operations, the 402Bde was able to conduct 136 operations, which resulted in 71 encounters.

He added that as of the first quarter of this year, at least 36 NPA rebels were killed during the series of encounters, 128 had surrendered, including mass base supporters, 10 were captured, and 187 firearms were seized.

Meanwhile, the 401Bde said in the first quarter, Regional Sentro De Grabidad had 13 combatants and 13 firearms remaining; the Sub-Regional Committee Southland had 20 rebels and 44 firearms., and the Sub-Regional Sentro del Grabidad Southland had nine rebels and 12 firearms.

“The 401Bde is mandated to implement peace, law enforcement, and development support programs in its AORs (areas of responsibility) to destroy units of the North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC) of the NPA,” said Brig. Gen. Francisco Lorenzo, commander of 401Bde.

On the other hand, the 901Bde said it managed to reduce the NEMRC's capabilities in its AORs, particularly in parts of Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Sur, and Dinagat Islands.

As of the second quarter of 2024, the 901Bde said it has significantly reduced NEMRC's combatants to 76 and its firearms capabilities to 33.

Likewise, the 901Bde dismantled the Guerrilla Front (FG) 16, GF-21, and GF-30 through a series of operations. Of the areas the brigade covers, the Dinagat Islands and Surigao del Norte are now declared insurgency-free.

In the Eastern Visayas 35 towns have achieved rebel-free status this year. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1231292

A total of 35 towns in Eastern Visayas have been declared free from threats of the New People’s Army (NPA) and have attained Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS) status, the Philippine Army reported on Thursday.

The municipalities conferred the SIPS status from January to mid-August this year are Pagsanghan, Tarangnan, San Sebastian, Talalora, Sta. Margarita, Almagro, and Sto. Niño in Samar province; Allen, San Jose, Rosario, Capul, Biri, and San Vicente in Northern Samar; Bontoc and Macrohon in Southern Leyte; Palompon, Isabel, Matag-ob, Merida, Bato, and Hilongos in Leyte; and Giporlos, Mercedes, Maydolong, Llorente, Balangkayan, Guiuan, Lawaan, Sulat, San Policarpo, Hernani, San Julian, Taft, Salcedo, and Quinapondan in Eastern Samar.

In a press briefing, commander of the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division, Maj. Gen. Camilo Ligayo, said these municipalities earned SIPS status due to the successful conduct of local peace engagement down to the community level and the effective multi-sectoral commitment to peace and security.

“We want all areas to attain to be declared as insurgent-free, but we have to be careful. We should follow parameters for a town or province to attain the SIPS status. We are confident that more areas will be declared soon since there are many good things happening in the region,” Ligayo said.

Brig. Gen. Efren Morados, commander of the Army’s 803rd Infantry Brigade, said they have been stepping up efforts to declare more areas peaceful and free from NPA threats.

“We have different security mechanisms in place to prevent NPA resurgence, but the most important is our advocacy on good governance. We don’t want NPA (rebels) to use corruption issues to persuade villagers to fight the government,” Morados said.

In Eastern Mindanao 9 areas have been declared insurgency-free.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1231069

The Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines announced Tuesday that six provinces, two municipalities, and one city in its area of responsibility (AOR) have been declared insurgency-free.

During the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas forum here, Eastmincom commander Lt. Gen. Luis Rex Bergante identified the six provinces as Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur, Davao de Oro, Davao Occidental, and Surigao del Norte.

Similarly, the municipalities Kadingilan and San Fernando in Bukidnon, and Davao City were also declared insurgency-free.

Bergante further said that the provinces of Surigao del Sur and Agusan del Norte would soon join the list.

“There are still parameters needed before (they) will be declared insurgency-free. There is a certain number of New People’s Army (NPA) and firearms (to be surrendered) before we (make the declaration),” he said.

Bergante noted that although the guerrilla fronts have a “breaking point,” they cannot predict as to when this would occur.

“We are not certain as to when. I don’t suggest timelines because it will just come,” he said.

It is interesting that Eastmincom commander Lt. Gen. Luis Rex Bergante does not want to set a timeline for when the remaining provinces will be rebel-free. Elsewhere the AFP has set deadlines for the deafeat of the NPA by the end of the year. 

First in Mindoro. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/8/14/army-eyes-total-defeat-of-npa-in-mindoro-this-year

The Armed Forces of the Philippines is working hard to finally dismantle the New People’s Army and eyeing the zero presence of communist rebels in the island of Mindoro by the end of this year.

Col. Eric D. Guevarra, deputy brigade commander of the 203rd Brigade based in Bansud, Oriental Mindoro, said they are focusing their forces in Mindoro after the provinces of Romblon and Marinduque were declared as insurgency-free and Palawan was proclaimed as an area with Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS) when President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. visited the island on September 1, 2023.

Guevarra said that in the province of Oriental Mindoro, four municipalities, Puerto Galera, San Teodoro, Naujan, and Baco, had been declared insurgency-free, with Victoria the latest on August 14, 2024.

He said that they are monitoring three armed units of the Sub-Regional Military Area (SRMA) 4-D of the Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee (STRPC) operating in Mindoro – ICM (Ignacio Claveria Mangadia), MAV (Mark Anthony Velasco), and Glen Marie Tamboong (GMT) Kilusang Larangang Gerilya (KLG).

The military engaged communist rebels in three encounters in the province from January to July this year, in the towns of Bulalacao and Mansalay. Eight NPA rebels were killed and six firearms were recovered.

Guevarra encouraged remaining members of the NPA in the province to surrender and avail of the opportunities being offered by the government through amnesty and the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration (E-CLIP) program.

The next area to be cleared by the end of the year is Panay.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1231047

The Visayas Command (Viscom) said on Tuesday that central Philippines has only one remaining guerilla front, which it vowed to dismantle before yearend.

Col. Joel Benedict Batara, Viscom Civil-Military Operations head, said that although the single guerilla front operating in Panay Island has already weakened, “we continue to exert and we are asserting that this remaining guerilla front should be dismantled this year.”

“As far as other regions are concerned, there are still remnants. We can’t say a zero score as there are still remnants who are still roaming around but they are in the inconsequential level,” Batara added during the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas forum held at Degoma Hall of Camp Lapu-Lapu here.

Viscom public information officer, Lt. Col. Israel Galorio, said that from mid-2022 to Aug. 13, a total of 186 New People’s Army rebels have been neutralized.

He said 1,401 NPA members surrendered to authorities and 1,226 received financial assistance to support their livelihood through Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program grants.

The AFP does not have the best track record on meeting its goals of ending the insurgency. Perhaps it is better to follow the lead of Eastmincom commander Lt. Gen. Luis Rex Bergante and not set timelines.