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Just few NPA rebel in central Mindanao
By J.Lo
"It's local communities that made them become weak…we also ought to thank indigenous people in our area of responsibility for having secured surrender of so many CTG members in recent months," Philippine Army's 6th Infantry Division commander Brig. Gen. Alex Rillera, told reporters after Thursday's Army-NPA gunfight in Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat that left wanted rebel leader dead capability of New People's Army to perpetrate terror attacks anywhere in central Mindanao dwindled in past five years owing to cross-section efforts to neutralize its forces in the region.
Recent clashes between personnel of their units and members of "communist terrorist group," NPA's new moniker, involved only from four to six guerillas, indication that it has just few members now.
Slain rebel, Rowie Libot, perished in brief clash with personnel of PA 37th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Lemulan in Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat on Thursday morning.
Libot was senior NPA leader who first operated in Davao de Oro and Davao Oriental provinces and relocated to Sultan Kudarat in 2017 after different courts in both provinces issued warrants for his arrest for heinous offenses.
Libot and his four companions opened fire first on soldiers dispatched to check on reports by villagers about his presence in area, sparking gunfight that resulted in his death.
Two other CTG members were cornered and detained by 37th IB personnel after brief shootout on same day in Kalamansig's Barangay Hinalaan, now both in custody of municipal police station.
"It was local residents, among them traditional community leaders, led our troops to their exact locations," Rillera said.
Total of 351 CTG members yielded to different battalions and brigades under 6th ID and units of Police Regional Office-12 since 2019, many of them reintroduced to mainstream society with help of local government units.
Brig. Gen. Jimili Macaraeg, director of Police Regional Office-12, said a number of CTG members had also been arrested in separate operations in past 24 months by members of their units in law-enforcement operations carried out with help of LGUs and leaders of different indigenous tribes.
"These are fruits of our continuing community relations program involving local communities, religious sector and local executives in areas under PRO-12," Macaraeg said.
Government now considers Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, NPA, as dying threat that will finally end in next two years under Marcos administration.
With confirmed death of top communist leaders Benito and Wilma Tiamzon in August 2022 and Jose Maria Sison in December 2022 as well as recent arrest of Eric Casilao in Malaysia, National Security Council (NSC) believes total victory against insurgency is at hand.
With CPP-NPA allegedly now at its weakest, government is rejecting any idea of reviving peace talks and is instead pushing for an amnesty law that will give remaining communist fighters and supporters more reasons to lay down their arms and live peaceful lives.
"It is in dying stage now based on latest data we have, showed of 89 guerrilla fronts of CPP-NPA, 67 have been dismantled since 2018. In 2018, four; 2019, 13; 2020, 10; 2021, 21 and 2022, 19," NSC assistant director general Jonathan Malaya said in an interview.
Malaya said there are currently 22 guerrilla fronts nationwide left, including 18 that have been severely weakened by intensified operations of AFP and combined efforts of National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
"We only have four active guerrilla fronts in the country…essentially we are in good place… military considers t we are at strategic victory level and hopefully in next two years, we will have total victory against CPP-NPA," Malaya said.
Noting similar claims in previous years that country's insurgency problem is soon coming to an end, Malaya said difference now is whole-of-government approach or whole-of-nation approach started by Duterte administration, President Marcos adopted and continued to implement.
He said during administration of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, approach was that CPP-NPA or communist terrorist group problem is military or police matter.
"Through NTF-ELCAC, there is this understanding that it has to be whole-of-nation approach… cannot be solved merely by military solution..you need support of other government agencies to develop rebel-controlled barangays...because problem is, when military comes in, they clear barangay and move on to next without pursuing development in these areas…and because of that, NPA just keeps coming back, other problem is, we were not doing anything about recruitment because they continue to recruit in urban areas…and now that we are doing something about it, they are facing less and less, they are recruiting less and less people to mountains," he added.
Malaya said CPP-NPA problem should be handled through multi-faceted approach, wherein focused military operations have so far resulted in dismantling of 67 of 89 guerrilla fronts with 3,340 NPA-controlled barangays now cleared and with only 409 remaining under influence of rebels.
"This is first time that we reached that stage 409 remaining barangays and estimated armed strength of NPA is now down to around 2,000 members in 22 guerrilla fronts all over the country… and also widespread loss of support coming from many parts of the country… seventy-nine percent of LGUs have denounced CPP-NPA," he said, referring to local government units.
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