The 2025 election is now over and according to the NTF-ELCAC Filipinos have rejected "Reds-linked" groups. Instead they voted for clowns, showbiz personalizes, and in some cases like Kerwin Espinosa actual criminals.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1250224 |
The results of the May 12 midterm elections indicate that voters rejected party-lists with known links to the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People's Army - National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF), the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said on Friday.
NTF-ELCAC Executive Director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. made the remark, noting that "pre-canvass figures covering more than 95 percent of precincts show that votes for CPP-NPA-NDF-affiliated party-lists fell by 26 percent compared with 2022 election results."
"It is clear that Filipino voters rejected the duplicity of these individuals and party-list organizations with regard to their links to the CPP-NPA-NDF. For years, they refused to condemn the violent armed insurgency of the CPP-NPA-NDF and the electorate has now responded by shrinking their congressional footprint," he said.
Torres said it is not surprising that these party-lists are now using the specter of “red-tagging” as a scapegoat for their dismal showing in the polls.
"Blaming defeat on critical scrutiny belittles the Filipino voters' capacity to weigh facts. Citizens made an informed choice and punished duplicity, not genuine activism," he added.
Torres also said residual support for these party-lists underscores the need to keep exposing their duplicity.
"The people's warning is unambiguous: persist in refusing to denounce, and in fact, romanticizing 'people’s war' and your electoral relevance will continue to erode, perhaps to extinction by 2028. But if you break decisively with armed communist violence and engage in genuine democratic discourse, then you may yet resume constructive participation in national life," Torres said.
The anti-insurgency task force also thanked the voters in the recent polls for proving again that "the future is written with ballots, not bullets."
"We stand ready to work with all winners and even with the defeated, provided they renounce armed violence, respect the Constitution and serve the common good. The message from the electorate is crystal clear, and every elected individual and organization should match the people's democratic faith with unrelenting service," he added.
"Citizens made an informed choice?" ""Blaming defeat on critical scrutiny belittles the Filipino voters' capacity to weigh facts??" The people voted for criminals and family dynasties to govern the nation! The verdict is in too soon to determine why Makabayan did not fare well in the polls.
Bayan Muna did so poorly they are facing delisting from the party-system.
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| https://www.inquirer.net/443389/akbayan-tops-party-list-race-bayan-muna-faces-delisting |
The Akbayan Citizens’ Action Party, which did not land among the front-runners in pre-election surveys, is leading the party list race in the May 12 midterm elections and is poised to get the maximum three seats in the House of Representatives.
Akbayan will get a fresh three-year term for its top three nominees, led by human rights lawyer Chel Diokno.
Based on partial and unofficial results as of 12:58 p.m. on Tuesday, with 97.2 percent of election returns transmitted, Akbayan had 2,749,857 votes, or 6.71 percent of the votes cast for party list groups.
Akbayan ranked 57th in the 2022 elections, when it got only 236,226, or 0.64 percent of the votes.
In September, Akbayan filled in the last seat for the 2022 party list race after the Supreme Court affirmed an earlier Comelec decision to cancel An Waray’s party list registration.
In a statement on Tuesday, Diokno thanked the outpouring support for Akbayan.
In the incoming Congress, he said, opposition lawmakers will have “a louder voice … and we will use it to forward the causes of the marginalized and to fight for our sovereignty and democracy.”Akbayan is a pioneer party list organization in Congress, first winning in 1998 and in all succeeding elections except in 2019.
The last time Akbayan was able to secure the maximum three seats was in the 2004 elections, with Etta Rosales, Mario Aguja, and Risa Hontiveros serving in the House.
The group later allied itself with then-President Benigno Aquino III and the Liberal Party.
Akbayan is the political base of Hontiveros, the only member of the opposition to win a Senate seat in the 2022 elections.
Akbayan and five other incumbent party lists are already assured of at least one seat each out of the 63 party list seats up for grabs.
The others are Duterte Youth (with 2,298,760 votes, or 5.61 percent); Tingog (1,787,233 votes, or 4.36 percent); 4PS (1,434,178 votes, or 3.5 percent); ACT-CIS (1,221,669 votes, or 2.98 percent), and Ako Bicol (1,061,175 votes, or 2.59 percent).
Duterte Youth, ACT-CIS and 4PS were projected by survey firm Pulse Asia to be among the the top performing among the 155 party lists in the 2025 elections.
Based on the initial results, only Akbayan, Duterte Youth, Tingog and 4PS are poised to get three seats. ACT-CIS is expected to get only two.
In the 2022 elections, ACT-CIS, with broadcast journalist Erwin Tulfo as its first nominee, dominated the party list race, getting 2.1 million votes, or 5.7 percent of the votes cast. It was the only party list that won three seats.
New party lists are also poised to get represented in the next Congress.
These include Solid North, which is currently at eighth spot (1.84 percent of the votes), with Abra Rep. Ching Bernos as its first nominee); Trabaho at ninth (1.58 percent), with Supreme Court lawyer Johanne Monich Bautista as its first nominee); PPP at 11th (1.39 percent), whose first nominee Harold James Duterte, is a nephew of former President Rodrigo Duterte; Mamamayang Liberal at 14th (1.32 percent), has former Sen. Leila de Lima as its first nominee, and FPJ Panday Bayanihan at 15th (1.29 percent), with Brian Llamanzares, only son of Sen. Grace Poe, as its first nominee.
Around 50 party lists are expected to take House seats in the 20th Congress, which opens in July.
This year’s results were not as good for the Makabayan bloc, as only two of its affiliated party lists—ACT Teachers (34th, or 0.85 percent) and Kabataan (40th, or 0.75 percent)—are expected to get seats.
Gabriela may lose its current seat as it only ranked 55th, with 253,868 votes, or 0.62 percent of the votes cast.
Bayan Muna, which was among the most popular party lists before the Duterte administration, is at a distant 76th, garnering only 160,369 votes, or 0.39 percent.
It is in danger of being delisted by the Comelec and could not participate in the 2028 general elections for failure to secure a seat in the past two elections, in 2022 and 2025.
In a statement on Tuesday, Bayan Muna blamed its low numbers on the attacks and harassment from the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict and the military.
“The vilification, Red-tagging, harassment, fake news, and disinformation campaigns targeted against us only exposed the desperation of those in power to silence the voice of dissent and suppress the will of the marginalized,” it said.
Both Bayan Muna and Gabreila's loss is interesting because Chel Diokno is a human rights lawyer who has defended red-tagged persons. His legal association Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) has represented Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Zarate and defended him from allegaetions red-tagging. What exactly has the Filipino electorate rejected?
The National Security Council has admonished Bayan Muna to stop blaming the government for their defeat.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1250093 |
A ranking official of the National Security Council (NSC) on Wednesday called on the Bayan Muna party-list to stop blaming the government for its defeat in the May 12 midterm elections.
"Bayan Muna has no one (to) blame for its electoral defeat in the past (two) party-list elections but itself," NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said in a message to reporters.
Instead of blaming the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) for its election woes, Malaya said Bayan Muna should do a "self-reflection" on what it did wrong and why it has lost significant public support in the past election cycles.
"What is clear is that the usual sloganeering or propaganda no longer works and that the public no longer supports the ideology, issues, and political positions that they stand for," he added.
Bayan Muna earlier claimed that it has sustained relentless attacks from the state, most especially from the NTF-ELCAC, during its campaign, resulting in its vilification and red-tagging.
This could very well be the end of Bayan Muna. But they could always make a come-back. Oh, and by the way whatever happened to the 300,000 to 500,000 CPP-NPA supporters the NICA alleged were working for the government?
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1129696 |
The National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) on Thursday said several supporters of communist terrorist groups (CTGs) have infiltrated different government agencies, working as state employees across various offices.
In an interview over DZAR on Thursday, NICA Director-General Alex Paul Monteagudo said they know about the individuals who were able to infiltrate government agencies.
“We know who they are, that they are even party members, supporters of the CPP [Communist Party of the Philippines]. But pinapaalam din natin sa kanila na alam natin. Alam nila na alam namin, alam ng security forces, alam ng gobyerno kung sino sila at binabantayan natin sila (We have informed them that we know. They know that we know, the security forces know, the government knows them, and we are watching them),” Monteagudo said.
He said even before President Duterte’s term, “Reds have already infiltrated the government with their 52 years of existence”.
“Halos lahat ng ahensya ng gobyerno ay napasukan na sa loob ng 52 years. They have all the time sa loob ng 50 taon na ma-infilitrate itong mga organizations natin (Almost all government agencies have been infiltrated in those 52 years. They had all the time infiltrating our organizations for more than 50 years),” he said.
Another mode of entering government service, Monteagudo explained, is through student leaders who were recruited to join different front organizations and later became members or supporters of the CPP-NPA-NDF.
He said students who decided to remain in the city but remained as CTG supporters were encouraged by the group to take civil service examinations.
After passing the examinations, Monteagudo said they enter government service and work in the agencies.
“Pero pag pumasok yun dun, ang part ng kanilang sweldo pupunta sa partido(When they enter the government, part of their salary goes to the party) but their primary function is to recruit more, to influence, to agitate and to indoctrinate and to act as eyes and ears of the CPP-NPA,” Monteagudo said.
He said NICA has been presenting special briefings in different government agencies on the extent of CTG infiltration on the bureaucracy.
As per NICA’s latest estimate, there are about 300,000 to 400,000 who are allies of different CPP-NPA-NDF front organizations.
However, Monteagudo clarified that being a member of these front organizations does not mean that they are terrorists.
Did the NSC and NICA root them out? Who cares about a single party-list representative when Philippine intel agencies have claimed there are upwards of 400,00 allies of different CPP-NPA-NDF front organizations working for the government?
The fight goes on. Another NPA leader was killed this time in Surigao Sur.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1249851 |
A suspected leader of the New People’s Army was killed during an encounter with government troops in Lingig, Surigao del Sur over the weekend.
Elbert Echaves (alias Aldrin), commanding officer of the Regional Sentro de Grabidad (RSDG) Jaguar under the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SMRC) of the NPA, died following an encounter in Sitio Mendezona, Barangay Rajah Cabungsuan, according to a report of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division (10ID).
Government forces also recovered an M16 rifle from the site of the encounter.
“The continuing military operations in the area reflect the 10ID’s unwavering commitment to dismantle the remnants of the SMRC,” 10ID commander Maj. Gen. Allan Hambala said in a statement.
He also assured residents and nearby communities that the operations are targeted and deliberate.
“Our focus remains on protecting innocent lives, restoring lasting peace and preventing the communist terrorist group's resurgence. We will not stop until the last armed insurgent chooses peace over violence,” Hambala said.
On April 27, the 10ID also reported the death of Jeffry Casal, vice team leader of RSDG Jaguar, in an encounter with the military in the nearby town of Boston in Davao Oriental.
Another dead leader from the leaderless NPA.
An abandoned arms cached has been discovered in Maguindanao del Sur.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1249867 |
The Army’s 601st Infantry Brigade (601Bde) recovered Sunday assorted high-powered firearms abandoned in Barangay Mao, Datu Abdullah Sangki, Maguindanao del Sur.
Lt. Col. Roden Orbon, speaking for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division (6ID), quoted a report from the 601Bde that soldiers responded immediately to civilian reports about the presence of heavily armed individuals in Barangay Mao.
“The timely information provided by civilians to the military helped prevent violence in Datu Abdullah Sangki,” he said.
Maj Gen. Donald Gumiran, commander of the 6ID, also lauded the civilians for alerting authorities about the armed men in the village that could have disrupted Monday's national and local polls.
“When the government forces, backed by armored personnel carriers, arrived, the gunmen were already gone, but soldiers discovered guns and ammunition abandoned in the village at about 8 a.m.,” he said.
The soldiers found one M60 machine gun, five M16 rifles, ammunition and other war materiel.
The 6ID has deployed over 5,000 soldiers across its area of responsibility in Central Mindanao, which includes the provinces of Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, and parts of North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato and Sarangani.
Civilians tipped off the AFP to the presence of heavily armed men in the area. The military came in and they found the weapons. It's not clear if these are NPA weapons or Islamic terrorist weapons.
While the PNP battled election violence in Maguindanao del Sur the AFP was fighting the MILF.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1249861 |
Two were killed, including a candidate for the municipal council, while eight were disarmed and arrested following a police operation in Pandag, Maguindanao del Sur, on Saturday.
Lt. Col. Jopy Ventura, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, identified in his report Sunday the slain poll candidate Emran Mamalinta, 40, who was running for a Sangguniang Bayan seat in Pandag.
Arrested were Jhopit Sarabon Gampong, Mohamad Macapeges Andil, Samer Macapeges Andil, and Usop Gampong Mamidted, all members of the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team; and Keji Mamalinta Esmail, Embran Laguialam Salandangan, Rahim Esmail Mamalinta, and Abdulrahman Tumba Mamalinta, all of Pandag town.
“We are assuring the voters that the election will go through in Pandag as scheduled,” Ventura said in a statement, adding that police and military forces are in place to protect Monday’s elections.
He said the two armed groups clashed in four villages of Pandag at dawn Saturday.
Responding officers under the 4th Special Action Battalion, backed by military forces, went to the area to pacify them but were attacked, triggering a four-hour firefight.
Subsequent clearing operation led to the recovery of three M16 rifles, two Garand rifles, an M203 rifle, three 40mm grenades, assorted ammunition, and personal belongings.
Also on Saturday, two soldiers were hurt in a clash with Moro Islamic Liberation Front gun-toting members in Shariff Aguak town, also in Maguindanao del Sur.
Brig. Gen. Patricio Ruben Amata, the Army’s 6th Infantry Division assistant commander, said the soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Battalion were injured during the clash at about 5 a.m.
“Elements of the 33rd Infantry Battalion were patrolling the village of Kuloy when they were fired upon by the armed men, triggering a gun battle that lasted for several hours,” Amata said.
He said the matter has been resolved, and both sides have de-escalated.
So, the MILF fired upon the AFP and now its over? Isn't that a direct violation of the peace treaty?
"A notorious leader of the Dawlah Islamiyah-Maute Group" has been neutralized by the AFP.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2025/05/11/dawlah-islamiyah-maute-group-leader-slain-lanao-del-sur-clash |
Soldiers neutralized a notorious leader of the Dawlah Islamiyah-Maute Group (DI-MG) in a 15-minute encounter on May 9 in Barangay Tambo, Bacolod-Kalawi, Lanao del Sur.
Soldiers identified the fatality as Nasser Daud, alias Mas’od and Mahater.Daud was No. 1 in the government’s Periodic Status Report and was directly linked to the Dec. 3, 2023, bombing at the Mindanao State University Gym in Marawi City.The military said his death marks a significant setback for the Islamic State (IS)-East Asia network where he was a key figure.Recovered from Daud were one Colt M16A1 rifle, 92 5.56mm ammunition, three steel magazines, an ISIS flag, and personal belongings.Brig. Gen. Billy O. dela Rosa, commander of the 103rd Infantry Brigade, placed nearby units on heightened alert to prevent any retaliatory attacks and conduct follow-up operations.“This successful operation demonstrates our unwavering commitment to eliminating terrorism in Lanao del Sur. The neutralization of Nasser Daud is a victory for our troops and the people of this province. We will not relent until the DI-MG threat is completely eradicated,” said Dela Rosa.Major Gen. Yegor Rey P. Barroquillo Jr., commander of Joint Task Force Zampelan, commended troops for their bravery and reaffirmed the military’s commitment to maintaining security in Mindanao.“This operation is a testament to the dedication and courage of our soldiers. Our pursuit of those responsible for the 2023 MSU Marawi bombing will not cease until justice is served. We remain steadfast in our mission to protect our communities and secure our operational area,” said Barroquillo.
Lanao del Sur? That province was basically declared insurgency free a few years back. Seems like that wasn't exactly true.
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