Insurgency: Spearhead On Track To Eliminate CTGs

Another town has ben declared insurgency-free. This time in southern Bukidnon.  

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2157156/bukidnon-town-declared-insurgency-free

After decades of being beset by the communist insurgency, this town in southern Bukidnon was declared insurgency-free on Friday, joining nine other localities in the province with the same status.

The declaration was made during a ceremony at the municipal grounds led by Mayor Pablo Lorenzo III, with officials from the Army’s 1003rd Brigade, the Bukidnon Police Provincial Office, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Lorenzo said the declaration was anchored on a resolution passed by the municipal peace and order council.

He recalled the decades-long toll of the insurgency in the town, which reached its height in the 1990s. 

The mayor said that the declaration was not intended to erase history, but to honor the sacrifices of residents and security forces, and to secure a peaceful future for the next generation.

A Manobo-Matigsalug tribal leader shared that his father, a former communist rebel who surrendered in 2019, helped establish the vigilante group Alsa Masa that opposed NPA activities.

He thanked the authorities for their support and urged fellow indigenous peoples to prioritize educating their children for a better future.

Brig. Gen. Christopher M. Diaz, commander of the Army’s 1003rd Brigade, said peace in Quezon was once only an aspiration during his early years of service in Mindanao. 

He noted that the current stability was the result of years of sacrifice by soldiers and police, stressing that peace is a shared responsibility and that development should now be prioritized.

Diaz credited the support of the local government as crucial to the achievement and assured residents of the Army’s continued vigilance.

Col. Oliver S. Navales, Bukidnon police director,  described the declaration as a collective victory rooted in unity and cooperation. 

He said being insurgency-free goes beyond the absence of armed conflict, reflecting trust and collaboration between communities and government. 

Navales added that sustained peace would open opportunities for education, investment, and economic growth, and thanked former rebels who chose to surrender and support lasting peace.

The ceremony also featured the signing of a persona non grata declaration against the communist movement and the release of white doves, symbolizing a milestone in the town’s history.

Quezon now joins the other insurgency-free areas in Bukidnon, namely, the towns of San Fernando, Kadingilan, Damulog, Dangcagan, Kibawe, Don Carlos, Maramag, Kitaotao, and Valencia City.

Col. Oliver S. Navales, Bukidnon police director says that this declaration will open opportunites for development in many areas. That includes the NTF-ELCAC's barangay development program which they claim is not a reward for insurgency cleared areas. 

The Philippine Army's 3rd Infantry Division which covers the Western Visayas, Negros Island Region and the Central Visayas claims they are on track to eliminate the NPA by the end of the year. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1265820

The Philippine Army's 3rd Infantry Division (3ID), also known as the Spearhead Division, is on track in its campaign to eliminate the local communist terrorist group (CTG) by the end of this year.

Accomplishments

Capt. Jessie Jun Ebalan, chief of the 3rd Division Public Affairs Office, said they have significant accomplishments when it comes to guerrilla units and reduction in manpower and firearms.

"We are on track; I could say that the 3rd Infantry Division is on track. We are winning our campaign in Western Visayas, Negros Island Region and Central Visayas. There is a significant decrease in the firepower and manpower of the NPA (New People's Army)," he said.

In June this year, through the National Joint Peace Security Coordinating Council, the vertical unit of Kilusang Rehiyon (KR) Panay, which is the Regional Sentro De Gravidad (RSDG) Madi-as, was declared as dismantled.

"A vertical unit is the regional striking force of KR-Panay. This is a big accomplishment since we have declared this as dismantled as of June 18 this year," he said.

This accomplishment won for the 3ID and its 301st Infantry Brigade the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) Campaign Streamer Award, awarded during the 90th founding celebration at Camp Aguinaldo by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

Other guerrilla fronts have been declared dismantled in previous years.

This year, they also neutralized 15 CTG members in Panay, to include the four who died in an encounter, one apprehended and the 10 who surrendered.

In Negros Island Region (NIR), there were 14 fatalities and 23 who surrendered.

Further, 82 firearms were seized, captured and surrendered. Of these, 47 were from Panay and 35 from the NIR.

Aid for rebels

Ebalan added that 17 former rebels received assistance under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP).

Under ECLIP, a rebel upon surrender receives PHP65,000 in assistance; PHP15,000 for immediate assistance and PHP50,000 livelihood aid.

There is a separate firearms remuneration, depending on the number and the serviceability.

Meanwhile, the 3ID also extended support to the Philippine National Police in serving the warrant against Roberto Caballes, the second deputy secretary of KR-Panay, resulting in his death.

An encounter in Negros Occidental led to the neutralization of four CTG members.

They also apprehended Gaspar Matullano, former KR-Panay secretary with a PHP2.5 million bounty and multiple standing warrants of arrest in Iloilo City.

The surrender of a wounded CTG member in an encounter in Tapaz, Capiz, to the 301st Infantry Brigade was also among their latest accomplishments.

The 3ID has jurisdiction over Western Visayas, Negros Island Region and Central Visayas.

"Hopefully, the division can reach the target that has been set by higher headquarters," he said.

It is interesting that while they cite accomplishments they don't cite any real numbers. How many rebels are left in the region? 

December 26th is the 57th anniversary of the founding of the CPP. The NTF-ELCAC says there is nothing to celebrate. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1265854

The Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) is hard pressed to find "existential relevance" as it has failed to deliver on its promises to its followers, the government's anti-insurgency task force said Friday.

“The honest answer is clear. Fifty-seven years on, what remains of the CPP’s social experiment is not a mass movement, but a sunken organization that vainly clings to an outdated ideology, sustained by deception, coercion, and the continued sacrifice of lives that no longer believe in its cause,” NTF-ELCAC Executive Director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. said in a statement, as the CPP-NPA marked its 57th anniversary.

Torre said the CPP anniversary is not an occasion for celebration but a moment of sober reflection for its members.

“After more than half a century of armed struggle, even as it currently claims to rectify and recover, the CPP is plagued with a question of existential relevance. Has this ‘revolution’ truly delivered to the people it claims to serve?” Torres asked.

“The CPP would have the country believe that this is because of fear or coercion. It is desperate to hide the fact that these communities are already seeing tangible improvements in the people’s lives. They see roads being built, livelihoods restored, and basic services that finally reach areas long neglected,” he added.

Peace and development, not armed violence, have proven to be the real instruments of change, Torres said.

“Militarily and politically, the NPA is now fragmented and depleted. Its remaining units are isolated, undersupplied, and increasingly reduced to acts of extortion, intimidation, and punitive violence against civilians,” he said.

Torres noted that the “loud rhetoric of resurgence through rectification and recovery” being claimed by the insurgents cannot hide the fact that the NPA has ceased to become an organized armed group but has turned into a band of isolated bandits in survival mode.

“Unable to rebuild support in the countryside through the NPA, the CPP has turned its political focus toward one remaining lifeline: Its urban-based operations. Universities, urban poor communities and other vulnerable groups have become prime targets for ideological grooming,” he added.

Under this method, Torres claimed that the youth are bombarded with romantic narratives of struggle, even as CPP organizers deliberately hide from would-be recruits grim realities of hunger, fear, disillusion and death in the mountains.

“Even in tragic deaths, the family’s mourning is weaponized and monetized, while recruitment quietly continues. This is not genuine activism. This is pure exploitation,” he added.

Alongside these, Torres said the CPP is merely relying on its legal democratic organizations, the wolves in sheeps’ clothing, to maintain relevance, weaponize narratives, and squeeze out financing opportunities to sustain its operations.

“The Filipino people have seen and embraced the government’s evolving but steady approach to ending local communist armed conflict that is no longer driven by force alone. Through a whole-of-nation framework and flagship initiatives like the Barangay Development Program, we continue to focus on governance reforms, social services, infrastructure, reintegration, and amnesty for those who genuinely choose peace,” Torres noted.

He added that the National Action for Unity, Peace and Development continues these initiatives now and beyond.

Torres said these efforts will continue to evolve and these will deliver real results that decades of armed struggle never did.

“After 57 years of bloodshed, displacement and broken promises, how many more lives must be spent to keep the CPP’s failed ideology alive? How many more young Filipinos must be persuaded to die for a revolution that no longer has a future?” he said.

Torres urged all remaining NPA fighters to surrender while the door to peace remained open.

He said this is a very viable option as a lot of former NPA rebels already chose the path that allowed them to reunite with their families and communities.

While noting that reintegration is not perfect, Torres said it is far more humane and fruitful than a life spent in constant flight and fear.

“The task force extends the same call to the remaining cadres and organizers of the CPP’s white area and urban operations. The path of violence must be abandoned and we must, together, pursue non-violent and democratic means to address our nation’s problems,” he said.

Torres said the ideology of armed violence has become impractical, socially costly, and exacted a toll that the Filipino people can no longer afford.

“Join the growing number of peace advocates who continue to work for change constructively, lawfully, and with respect for life,” the NTF-ELCAC official urged the remaining communist rebels.

There are two take aways here. The first is that the CPP is still very much active in its legal fronts and through humanitarian groups according to the NTF-ELCAC. The second is that communities are now seeing "roads being built, livelihoods restored, and basic services that finally reach areas long neglected." And why is that? Because areas declared insurgency-free have been rewarded with basic government services through the Barangay Development Program. 

The NPA has declared a holiday truce but the AFP has decided to ignore it. Just before the unilateral truce was set to begin 2 soldiers were killed by NPA landmines. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2157409/npa-landmines-reportedly-kill-2-soldiers-ahead-of-unilateral-truce

Explosive devices installed by the New People’s Army (NPA) killed two soldiers in Camarines Sur days ahead of the ceasefire declaration of the Maoist rebels.

This incident occurred at Balatan town’s Cabungan village on Friday, Dec. 19, according to Maj. Frank Roldan, spokesperson of the AFP 9th Infantry Division.

“Armed rebels treacherously bombed the troops of the 9th Infantry Battalion using anti-personnel mines,” Roldan said in a statement on Saturday.

No further details were disclosed, and the soldiers remain unidentified.

Philippine Army chief Lt. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete condemned the incident.

“We will not stop until we achieve justice and restore the peace they died to protect,” Nafarrete said in a statement.

Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) spokesperson Marco Valbuena said the local NPA command in the area confirmed that the incident took place.

“Troops of the 9th IB were conducting offensive combat operations, and were prepared to mount an attack against the NPA fighters in the area,” Valbuena said in a statement on Sunday. “The NPA unit was alerted of the plans of the 9th IB and promptly carried out active defense operations.”

Valbuena noted that NPA members withdrew from the site immediately.

After the incident, acting Philippine National Police chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. on Sunday ordered police commanders in Camarines Sur to intensify security and augment soldiers in the conduct of operations against the NPA.

Nartatez also said police are now on alert as they conduct investigation and prepare appropriate charges against those involved.

“I have directed hot pursuit operations against the rebels behind this landmine blast,” Nartatez said in a statement.

The December 19 incident occurred days before the first leg of CPP’s four-day unilateral ceasefire starting Dec. 25, prompting some 780 NPA fighters to suspend offensives. 

Aside from commemorating the holidays, the CPP said this year’s ceasefire is also to mark its 57th anniversary on December 26, 1968.

CPP’s armed wing, NPA, was later established on March 29, 1969, waging the world’s longest Maoist insurgency to date.

In the same province 2 NPA leaders were killed in a clash with the AFP.

https://mb.com.ph/2025/12/24/3-npa-leaders-2-members-killed-in-camarines-sur-clash

Three leaders and two members of the New People's Army (NPA) were killed in a clash with government troops in Camarines Sur province on Tuesday. 

Major Frank Roldan, 9th Infantry Division spokesperson, said troops from the 83rd Infantry Battalion and the Philippine National Police encountered the group in a mountainous area in Barangay Burabod, Lagonoy. 

Roldan said the casualties were Bal, head of the Regional Urban Committee of the Bicol Regional Party Committee; Paeng, head of Platoon 1, Komiteng Larangang Guerilla Sub-Regional Committee; and Ter or Dado, head of KLG2, SRC2, and their members Cris and Pepe. 

Recovered from the encounter site were an M16 rifle, a caliber .45 pistol, three anti-personnel mines, a laptop, and personal belongings. 

The gun battle followed intensified pursuit operations by troops after the discovery of four M16 rifles in Barangay Pinamihagan, Lagonoy on Dec. 20. 

Roldan said the communist rebels are attempting to return to areas they previously controlled to garner support but some residents reported them to authorities. 

Major Gen. Aldwine Almase, 9th ID commander, thanked the community for its cooperation in maintaining peace and security. Almase urged remaining NPA members to surrender.

That's two more leaders from the leaderless NPA who have been killed. 

The Army is calling on all remaining rebels in Northern Samar to surrender after a recent deadly clash. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1265764

The Philippine Army on Wednesday urged remaining New People’s Army rebels in Northern Samar to surrender following a clash that killed two insurgents last week.

Brig. Gen. Carmelito Pangatungan, commander of the 803rd Infantry Brigade, conveyed his sympathies to the families of the two rebels killed in upland Bulao village, Las Navas town, on Dec. 19.

“The tragic incident serves as a solemn reminder of the human cost of armed conflict, while we express hope that peace, dialogue, and reconciliation may ultimately prevail,” Pangatungan said in a statement.

“We urge the remaining communist terrorist group remnants, particularly the sub-regional committee Arctic, to lay down their arms and take the path of peace and reintegration while the opportunity remains,” he added.

The two fighters died in a firefight after attacking patrolling soldiers from the 20th Infantry Battalion. Troops recovered three M16 rifles.

The military heightened operations after residents reported armed men threatening farmers and extorting supplies in the area. 

They probably won't but maybe they will once they see the basic government programs set for 2026.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1265642

More projects designed to end insurgency will be implemented in Northern Samar province in 2026 under the Support to the Barangay Development Program (SBDP).

Citing reports from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Northern Samar provincial government on Monday said the SBDP has expanded with new recipient communities in 2026 and those part of the Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP) for the year 2025-2026.

Listed as new SBDP beneficiaries are Barangays Macagtas, Washington, Somoge and Libjo in Catarman town; Barangays Del Pilar and Quezon in Las Navas; Barangay Alejandro in Allen; Barangay Sumuroy in Bobon; Barangays Magtuas and Sulitan in Catubig; Barangays Sibunot and Yabyaban in Laoang; Barangay Bayho of Lope de Vega; Barangays Mirador and Talolora in Mondragon; and Barangays Guindauhan and Kailingan in Rosario town.

"DILG's programs and projects stand as powerful testaments of both the provincial and national government's continuing commitment to uplifting the current conditions of the province, particularly for the communities in need," the Northern Samar provincial government said in a statement.

In 2024, 161 projects were completed under the SBDP in the province, while for the year 2025, two projects were completed, two new projects in Gamay and Mapanas are ongoing, and three projects are still under procurement, according to the DILG Northern Samar field office.

SBDP-funded projects include rural roads, health stations, water systems and schools for conflict-cleared and far-flung communities, addressing the needs of the identified communities to alleviate poverty, sustain peace, and foster development.

The SBDP, a flagship initiative of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, seeks to close development gaps in remote and vulnerable areas by delivering essential infrastructure, improving access to basic services, and addressing the root causes of insurgency.

"Delivering essential infrastructure, improving access to basic services, and addressing the root causes of insurgency." Again, that is basic government services as a counter-insurgency program.