Insurgency: Mayor Urges Peace Talks

On Negros Island a young child was caught in the cross-fire of an NPA-AFP clash. He died. Now the mayor of that town is urging the remaining NPA fighters to surrender. 

 

https://mb.com.ph/2025/10/29/mayor-urges-peace-talks-npa-to-surrender

Mayor Ella Celestina Garcia-Yulo has called on the New People’s Army (NPA) to surrender and pursue peace talks, following a gun battle between soldiers and communist rebels where a six-year-old boy was killed in Sitio Matal-i, Barangay Quintin Remo, Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental on Tuesday, Oct. 28.

"It’s heartbreaking that a child, innocent and blameless, lost his life in this war,” Yulo said as he mourned the death of the victim in the crossfire.

She urged the NPA surrender, stressing the need to end the violence that continues to affect civilians in remote farming communities.

Yulo said residents in upland areas often find themselves trapped between opposing forces. “When the military passes through, they question residents about the presence of the NPA. When the rebels arrive, they do the same, often suspecting civilians of being informants,” she said.

The mayor assured that the local and provincial governments are ready to help rebels who wish to return to mainstream society. “Let’s end the war in the mountains, for peace, for freedom,” she appealed.

If they surrender do they get to avail of E-CLIP benefits? Perhaps it's best if the NPA plowed them to the ground and out of existence. And whose bullet was it that killed the child? The AFP? The NPA? 

The surrender of NPA fighters continues to happen across the country leading to the discovery of weapons. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1261877

The capacity of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) in the Caraga Region was significantly degraded after the recovery of 11 high-power firearms following a series of rebel surrenders this month.

The Army’s 901st Infantry Brigade (901Bde) reported Monday that the seizures were the result of three NPA members yielding to government forces between October 16 and 22.

On October 16, an NPA couple—Caryl Engayas Flores (alias Kayle) and Glendolyn Himo (alias Vic)—from the Sub-Regional Committee (SRC) Southland surrendered to the troops of the 29th Infantry Battalion (29IB) in Cabadbaran City, Agusan del Norte.

The couple provided crucial information that led to the discovery of a concealed arms cache in the hinterlands of Barangay Alegria, San Francisco, Agusan del Sur, the 901Bde said in a statement.

An operation launched on October 17 by the 29IB and the Police Regional Office in the Caraga Region (PRO-13) resulted in the recovery of 10 high-power firearms: three M203 Grenade Launchers, four M16 Rifles, two AR-15 Colt Assault Rifles, and a Firebird M4 Rifle.

A total of six long rifle magazines and 778 cartridges of 5.56mm were also recovered, the 901Bde said.

It added that the brigade scored another victory on October 22 when the surrender of Marvin Angcajas Pispiñan (alias Manong) to the 48th Infantry Battalion led to the recovery of an AK-47 rifle, an anti-personnel mine, 10 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, and an improvised explosive device (IED) in the hinterlands of Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur.

“The surrenders and the recovery of the firearms, ammunition and explosives degraded the capability of [the] NEMRC to sustain its operations,” Col. Manuel Darius Resuello, 901Bde acting commander, was quoted as saying.

There are still plenty of weapons out there in caches. 

Meanwhile 23 former rebels have completed training in Northern Samar.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1261997

At least 23 former New People's Army (NPA) rebels and their dependents have completed a 10-day livelihood skills training on bread and pastry production as part of the government’s support for their reintegration into civilian life.

The training aimed to equip participants with practical baking and entrepreneurial skills to help them build sustainable livelihood ventures after abandoning the NPA, the Philippine Army 19th Infantry Battalion (IB) said on Tuesday.

The course combined theoretical and hands-on sessions on bread, pastry, and cake preparation, along with lessons on food safety, sanitation, and basic business management.

The initiative is a partnership among the 19IB, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) – Las Navas Agro-Industrial School, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through its Sustainable Livelihood Program.

“This training is not only about baking bread – it’s about rebuilding lives and fostering hope. Through the support of TESDA and DSWD, our former rebels and their families are now better equipped to sustain themselves and contribute to peace and development in their communities,” Maj. Leo Abulencia, 19IB executive officer, said in a phone interview.

The initiative also forms part of the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program and the government’s whole-of-nation approach that seeks to assist former insurgents in rebuilding their lives and becoming productive members of society.

The successful completion of the bread and pastry production with National Certificate II course marks another milestone under the government’s localized peace engagement framework.

Now these murderous traitors are fully reintegrated back into society. The same can be said for 16 former rebels who have availed of E-CLIP benefits in South Cotabato.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1261987

Military authorities in South Cotabato have presented 16 former rebels (FRs) and former violent extremists (FVEs) to Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. at the provincial capitol as part of their reintegration process.

Lt. Col. Erwin Felongco, commander of the 38th Infantry Battalion, and Col. Emil Rex Santos, 603rd Infantry Brigade deputy commander, reaffirmed the Army's commitment to promoting peace and stability in the province during the ceremony. The former combatants included nine former communist rebels and seven former violent extremists.

“This milestone is a testament to the continued trust of our people in the government’s sincerity to bring peace and development,” Felongco said in a statement, adding that the unit remains committed to helping the former adversaries become productive citizens.

The program also featured the formal turnover of surrendered firearms, which included M1 Garand rifles, M2 carbines, M653 rifles, improvised M16 rifles, homemade M79 grenade launchers, and 7.62mm rifles.

Felongco said the FRs and FVEs, who were operating in the hinterlands of South Cotabato, have been validated by the Joint AFP–PNP Intelligence Committee (JAPIC). They are now ready to undergo the De-radicalization and Reintegration Program under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).

Meanwhile, Tamayo expressed his full support for the initiative and assured the FRs and FVEs of the provincial government’s continuous assistance through livelihood packages, education, and skills training programs.

Who exactly are the "seven former violent extremists" in this group of people? Muslim terrorists? A Muslim bomb maker was arrested in Sultan Kudarat. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1262135

Elite police officers from the Special Action Force (SAF) arrested an alleged bombmaker of the Dawlah Islamiyah (DI)-Hassan Group during an operation in Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Wednesday.

In a statement, acting PNP chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez said the five-hour operation that began Tuesday night was carried out after confirming the presence of JB Mastura, also known as Abu Naim, in his hideout in Barangay Ligao.

Armed with arrest warrants for cases of multiple murder, destructive arson and violation of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, SAF commandos began securing the area and swooped down on the hideout. They also seized an improvised explosive device.

The suspect is now under the custody of Palimbang Municipal Police Station. He will be presented before the Regional Trial Court Branch 13 in Cotabato City which issued the three arrest warrants in 2021.

Police and military intelligence identified Mastura as a bomb/improvised explosive device (IED) maker of the DI-Hassan Group. He is listed as No. 9 on the PNP's most wanted list for the fourth quarter of this year.

“One less terrorist means a lot in our effort to ensure the safety of everybody,” Nartatez said, adding that the PNP is also further strengthening cooperation with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and other law enforcement agencies in the campaign against high-value targets from big threat groups, especially in Mindanao.

That they seized an IED means DI is still plotting terrorist attacks and remain a deadly threat. 

The MILF remains a deadly threat as well as some of their men briefly took over Basilan.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2131533/basilan-exec-to-milf-rein-in-your-forces

Mayor Ingatun Istarul of Tipo-Tipo town in Basilan province on Wednesday asked the leadership of the erstwhile rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to rein in its members to avoid security-related problems in their communities.

The call came following attempts by a band of armed men, among them young MILF members, to overrun the Tipo-Tipo municipal government center on Tuesday in a bid to pursue a local employee whom they believed was involved in the killing of an Islamic preacher on Oct. 21.

The armed men exchanged gunfire with civil security personnel of the municipal government while soldiers and policemen stood guard to prevent them from taking over facilities, especially the town hall.

At least four people were wounded in the skirmishes, and they sent some 12,000 residents fleeing their homes and seeking temporary shelter with relatives in nearby Ungkaya Pukan and Al-Barka towns.

“As mayor of Tipo-Tipo, I strongly condemn these acts of violence that endangered our people and disrupted the peace of our municipality,” Istarul said in a statement on Wednesday.

The town, according to Istarul, was paralyzed for two days due to the tension generated by the assault launched by about 200 armed men.

“We call on the coordinating committee on the cessation of hostilities (CCCH) and the MILF leadership to review and strengthen control mechanisms over their members’ movements and armed activities within civilian-populated areas to prevent similar incidents in the future,” Istarul added.

The CCCH is a mechanism established by the government and the MILF to prevent unnecessary provocations among their respective forces, as well as pacify units engaged in armed encounters, as a way of helping create a good atmosphere in the negotiations for a peace agreement back then.

The negotiations for the armed men’s withdrawal on Tuesday overseen by Basilan Gov. Mujiv Hataman, were premised on their demand for justice for the murder of Ustadz Nadzri Tarahin.

But as far as incidents in Tipo-Tipo are concerned, Istarul said the tension started on Sunday when two men on a motorcycle fired indiscriminately at a checkpoint in Barangay Tipo-Tipo Proper. When pursued by government militiamen, the suspects fled to an MILF community.

Istarul said one of the suspects later died, and talks of retaliation spread across the town following the burial on Sunday night.

Those who launched a “coordinated assault” on Tipo-Tipo Proper, according to Istarul, were identified to be relatives and sympathizers of the one who died on Sunday.

“While the conflict had a tone of retaliation, it was not a regular ‘rido’ (clan feud) which usually occurs among families and lasts for years. This incident was distinct—a deliberate, organized armed action supported by MILF elements who took justice into their own hands, thereby endangering the peace process and the safety of civilian communities,” Istarul pointed out.

On Wednesday, Hataman visited Tipo-Tipo as part of a reassurance to its residents.

Also on Wednesday, bomb disposal experts swept through public areas in the town to dispose of unexploded ordnance.

Acting Philippine National Police chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines had set up checkpoints and deployed patrols to maintain order in Tipo-Tipo.

It just goes to show the MILF remains a terrorist group and the government was foolish for signing the BARMM into law.