Army troops siezes 9 NPA camps in Samar Island this month

From the Leyte Samar Daily Express (Dec 1): Army troops siezes 9 NPA camps in Samar Island this month

For this month alone, nine camps of the rebel group,the New People’s Army, were recovered by the government troops based in Samar Island, the biggest of which could accomodate about 90 rebels. Captain Gene Orense, civil military officer of the 8th Infantry Division based in Catbalogan City, said that the recovery of the camps, albiet abandoned by the rebels, is an indication that the soldiers are gaining a headway on their counterinsurgency campaign in Samar Island.

Military officials in the region have vowed to clear Samar Island, comprising of Samar, Eastern Samar and Northern Samar provinces, of insurgents. Colonel Roberto Capulong, operations chief of the 8th ID, said that for next year, they would wage a military campaign in Samar Island, particularly Samar and Northern Samar and finished their campaign by 2013, the least. Several Eastern Samar towns were already declared by the Army in the region to be insurgency-free and with the hope that the entire province would eventually be declared as NPA-free.

Orense said that of the nine abandoned camps recovered by the soldiers for this month, the latest to be seized was a camp located in Barangay Buenaswerte in Victoria, Northern Samar. The said camp was recovered by the members of the 20th Infantry Battalion, which is headed by Colonel Noel Vestuir, last Wednesday and which could accommodate 40 NPA members and has makeshift bunkers; kitchens; comfort rooms and outposts. “It is a clear manifestation that the NPA in Samar provinces is losing grounds, literally and losing their influences over the people which will eventually will lead to their downfall and collapse,” Orense said, quoting Major General Gerardo Layug, commanding general of the 8th ID.

The nine recovered NPA camps are located in the hinterland villages of the towns of Victoria, Las Navas, Lope de Vega and Gamay, all in Northern Samar; Matuguinao, Calbiga and Pinabacdao, all in Samar. And of these NPA camps overran by the government troops, the biggest was in Barangay Cuenco, Las Navas town wherein the said camp could accommodate about 90 rebels, Orense said. The said camp that was recovered last November 23 is equipped with a generator pit; 47 bunkers; three kitchens; two guard posts; three foxholes and two comfort rooms. The second biggest recovered NPA camp was located within the boundary of Brgy.Canlolobo,Pinabacdao and Brgy.Antol, Calbiga in Samar. It can accommodate about 70 people and equipped with a single classroom and 37 makeshift bunkers; advanced posts; toilets and kitchens. The other camps recovered by the government troops were located in Brgy. Inubod, Matuguinao,Samar which has a capacity of 30 people; in Brgy. del Rosario, also in Matuguinao which has a capacity of 45 persons; Brgy. Somoroy in Lope de Vega, Northern Samar which can accommodate 15 rebels; another camp in Brgy. Catoto-ogan in Las Navas, also in Northern Samar which has a capacity of 20; and another camp in Brgy. Victory, of the same town which can accommodate 60 persons, the third biggest camp seized from the rebels; in Brgy.Henogawa, Gamay, Northern, Samar which has a capacity of 50 NPAs.

http://leytesamardaily.net/2012/11/army-troops-siezes-9-npa-camps-in-samar-island-this-month/