Another NPA leader has been killed in an encounter with the AFP. Isn't funny how the APF claimed there were no more leaders in the NPA and leaders continue to be killed in encounters? How is that possible?
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| https://mb.com.ph/2025/11/25/npa-leader-killed-in-kalinga-encounter |
A leader of the Ilocos-Cordillera Regional Committee (ICRC) of the New People’s Army (NPA) was killed while a soldier was wounded in an encounter in Barangay Allaguia, Pinukpuk, Kalinga on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 23.
Lt. Col. Melvin Asuncion, officer–in–charge of the Division Public Affairs Office of the 5th Infantry Division, identified the slain rebel as Vicente or Changli, vice team leader of the Platoon Dos of the ICRC operating in the area and a native of the Cordillera region.
Asuncion said that Vicente’s body has been retrieved from the encounter site and they are reaching out to his family for burial.
The wounded soldier, identified as Private First Class Lhemar Guimpatan of the Reconnaissance Company, is in stable condition.
No civilians were involved during the crossfire.
Soldiers first engaged communist rebels in the area on Nov. 21 following reports from residents about the presence of more or less 15 fully armed NPA rebels.
Recovered from the encounter site were an M4 rifle, three high-powered guns, a chopped firearm, a grenade, backpacks and a cellphone.
Major Gen. Gulliver Señires, commander of the 5th ID, called on the remaining NPA rebels in the area to surrender for the sake of peace and development.
They say there was a reported 15 "fully armed NPA rebels." The death of this leader takes them down a notch to 14.
A clash in Samar resulted not in the death of one rebel and in the surrender of another NPA rebel.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1264001 |
A wounded New People’s Army (NPA) rebel is currently receiving medical treatment after voluntarily surrendering to village officials following an encounter with government forces in Samar.
Lino Dacuma, alias “Sanya,” is now recovering at the Gandara District Hospital after he voluntarily surrendered on Tuesday to officials of Gereganan village in Gandara town.
The encounter took place in the hinterlands of Gereganan village.
“He (Dacuma) became separated from his group during the clash and, unable to continue evading due to his injuries, sought assistance from nearby residents,” the Philippine Army’s (PA) 801st Infantry Brigade said.
Residents brought Dacuma to the home of Liza Barocaboc, the village chief, where he expressed his intention to peacefully surrender and request help.
Recognizing the urgency of the situation, village officials immediately coordinated with the nearest PA unit.
PA personnel promptly responded, facilitating Dacuma’s safe turnover and evacuation to the Gandara District Hospital for medical attention.
Clashes between soldiers and rebels started on Nov. 22, 2025, when government forces encountered 15 armed men belonging to Squad 2, Yakal Platoon, Sub-Regional Committee Browser of the NPA Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee.
The clashes resulted in the death of a female rebel and the recovery of several high-powered firearms.
Brig. Gen. Arlino Sendaydiego, commander of the 801st Infantry Brigade, issued a renewed appeal to remaining NPA members to lay down their arms.
“I call on the remaining members of the Communist Terrorist Group or NPA in the mountains: surrender and choose peace. We have no real victory if fellow Filipinos are fighting and hurting,” Sendaydiego said.
He only surrendered because he got separated from his comrades.
The NTF-ELCAC has condemned the spate of killings by the NPA of so-called spies. These people were all civilians alleged to have ratted out the NPA.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1263703 |
A ranking official of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Friday scored the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People's Army (CPP-NPA) for its renewed wave of "spy-tagging" killings, which have targeted civilians.
“Spy-tagging is the CPP-NPA’s most convenient weapon. It is not discipline. It is not revolution. It is murder," NTF-ELCAC executive director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. said in a statement.
He described the practice as “a death sentence imposed without truth, trial, or humanity,” calling out groups that refuse to denounce the execution of unarmed civilians.
Torres also pointed out that the recent killings in Negros, where at least 15 farmers, barangay officials, and residents have been summarily executed since early 2024, expose the CPP-NPA's continuing pattern of terror and community control.
“These people were not combatants. They were fathers, mothers, youth, workers – ordinary community members whose only ‘crime’ was being arbitrarily labeled as ‘military assets’ by a terrorist organization desperate to maintain influence through fear," he added.
The NTF-ELCAC official also noted that the atrocities in Negros mirror the CPP-NPA’s infamous purge campaigns – Kampanyang Ahos, Operation Missing Link, Project Olympia, Oplan Zombie, and Kadena de Amor – where thousands were tortured and killed after being falsely accused of espionage.
Torres said the pattern remains unchanged and is still “accuse, isolate, and kill.”
He also criticized certain left-leaning organizations and the Makabayan bloc for refusing to condemn the killings.
“For groups that loudly claim to champion human rights, their silence on the executions in Negros is deafening,” Torres said. “Silence is complicity. Their refusal to denounce the killings of farmers, barangay officials, and indigenous peoples exposes the hypocrisy behind their constant calls for justice.”
These killings, he said, cannot be dismissed as internal matters of the communist movement.
“These are crimes against the Filipino people. No community should ever be forced to live under the shadow of communist violence," he pointed out.
He called on local governments, civil society organizations, youth groups, academe, religious institutions, and the media to collectively condemn the atrocities and resist efforts to normalize the CPP-NPA’s purge-style executions.
Note that while the killings are condemned there is no denial these people were not spies. Funny how the NTF-ELCAC will engage in red-tagging and then act shocked when people are tagged as spies and are executed. Certainly the government has spies. But were these people spies or not?
The NTF-ELCAC has also condemned the Makabayan bloc for not speaking out against these killings.
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| https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/11/27/news/national/rights-groups-criticized-for-silence-on-npa-killings/2232280 |
THE National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) on Wednesday criticized human rights advocates and members of the Makabayan bloc for what it described as their “persistent and troubling silence” following the New People’s Army’s (NPA) admission that it killed two civilians this month after branding them as government informants.
Prosecutor Chris Gonzales of the Joint Regional Task Force 6-Elcac said the executions of Jomy Pelarta on Nov. 6 and Raul Loterio on Nov. 13 form part of a long-running pattern of so-called “spy-tagging” attacks by the NPA’s Romeo Nanta Command.
He said the group has acknowledged at least 15 similar killings since 2024, and around 20 in previous years.
Addressing reporters at a FAQCheck press briefing, Gonzales described the killings as “nothing short of terrorism, masquerading as revolution.”
He criticized groups he said have been vocal in other human rights cases but are “silent when the perpetrators are the NPA.”
“Their silence is not just disappointing; it makes them complicit in perpetuating a climate of fear and impunity,” Gonzales said. “Are they so blinded by ideology that they cannot recognize the suffering of the very people they claim to represent?”
He said those he called “enablers” prioritize political agendas over the safety of communities in Negros, urging them to denounce “violence and terrorism in all its forms.”
Former NPA member Arian Jane Ramos, now part of Buklod Kapayapaan, echoed Gonzales’ statements.
Ramos said the NPA is shielded by “legal front organizations” that remain publicly silent on summary executions.
She said the silence of the Makabayan Bloc stems from a belief that NPA members are “revolutionary martyrs,” making accountability efforts difficult.
Ramos said her group is building evidence that could be used to isolate these organizations from their legal counterparts, though she noted that the process remains challenging without broader political will.
Gonzales urged the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to open motu proprio investigations into the killings, stressing that the Communist Party of the Philippines itself publishes statements on such operations.
He said the CHR’s mandate covers not only perpetrators but also those who “enable, support, or justify” abuses against civilians.
“The CHR has the power to help identify those who enable the killing of innocent civilians. Their action is critical,” he said.
Gonzales called on the public to hold accountable those he said have remained silent despite the NPA’s own admissions, urging community members to make their stance clear against armed attacks on civilians.
Captain Jun Ebalan of the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division likewise appealed for a unified condemnation from all sectors.
“We call on LGUs, households, religious groups, and every Negrosanon to publicly denounce these acts of cowardly violence,” Ebalan said. “The CTG thrives when communities are silent — your condemnation is a moral duty.”
He called for vigilance, encouraging residents to report sightings and deny the group shelter.
“They are few, but they exploit fear. Report their movements, deny them refuge, and together we will end their reign of terror,” Ebalan said.
This could be evidence to use against the Makabayn bloc for being CPP-NPA legal fronts but such evidence has been floating around for decades with no resulting banning of the bloc. The NTF-ELCAC wants the CHR to condemn the violence as well but their mandate is to monitor government abuses.
The clock on amnesty is counting down. In Samar 116 rebels apples for amnesty recently.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1263720 |
A total of 116 former rebels (FRs) from Matuguinao, Samar have formally applied for amnesty after completely abandoning the communist ideology.
The former rebels filed for amnesty during a two-day orientation and intake activity organized by the Local Amnesty Board (LAB) – Catbalogan, in partnership with the 43rd Infantry Battalion and the local government of Matuguinao.
The activity that concluded in Barangay Mabuligon on Thursday was led by Mayor Aran Boller.
The LAB secretariat provided a comprehensive briefing on the government’s amnesty program, including step-by-step procedures from initial application to endorsement to the Office of the President.
The panel also clarified which offenses are covered by the amnesty proclamation and which are excluded.
On the first day alone, 82 FRs submitted their applications, with 34 more completing their intake activity the following day.
All applicants took their oath of allegiance before Public Attorney’s Office lawyers, who ensured that each participant fully understood the commitments associated with the amnesty program.
In a phone interview on Friday, Boller emphasized the significance of the initiative in sustaining peace gains in one of Samar’s previously insurgency-affected areas.
“The strong turnout is an encouraging indication of the former rebels’ determination to clear their names and reintegrate into mainstream society as productive, law-abiding citizens,” he said.
Boller said the initiative reflects the municipal government’s firm commitment to ending local insurgency and providing sustainable pathways for former rebels to rebuild their lives within their communities.
There are still thousands of potential amnesty applicants out there.
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