From the Visayan Daily Star (Jan 19): NDF calls Oplan
Bayanihan a failure
If the National Democratic Front is to be believed, the Oplan Bayanihan and
similar campaign plans implemented by the Armed Forces Central Command and
Army’s 3rd Infantry Division in Negros, a priority area for clearing of local
insurgents since 2008, ended as a failure. Frank Fernandez, the NDF-Negros spokesman, said that contrary to military
claims that the number of New People’s Army rebels is fast dwindling and the
revolutionary movement continues to weaken, “the truth speaks otherwise because
every year the revolutionary forces accumulate strength.”
Military records show that the number of armed NPA members significantly
dropped from its peak of about 1,200 in the late 1980’s to about 200 this
year. Col. Oscar Lactao, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, also reported the
surrender of 77 rebels, who have availed of livelihood and financial assistance
from the provincial government of Negros, as well as from the Office of the
Presidential Adviser on Peace Process.
NDF-Negros also strongly condemned the arrest of those it claims to be
innocent civilians during an encounter in Isabela, Negros Occidental, who
included a man mistaken to be a rebel leader in Manjuyod, Negros Oriental, with
a P5.25 million reward on his head. “Col. (Francisco) Patrimonio and his men, including the PNP in Negros should
be ashamed when they boast of big accomplishments that resulted to the weakening
of the revolutionary movement,” Fernandez, who is also the alleged secretary of
the Komiteng Rehiyonal-Negros, said in a statement he issued.
But Patrimonio debunked claims of a case of “mistaken identity”, referring to
the arrest of Felimon Mendrez, commander of the Regional Strike Force of the
Komiteng Rehiyonal-Negros, saying that, his identity had been confirmed by
several sources.
Fernandez also said that the failure of intelligence units and strike
operations of the Philippine Army and PNP is just a result of their desperate
acts to recover from their disgrace, citing the alleged numerous casualties of
the military in the recent Isabela encounter. He also said that the proposed localized peace talk aims to weaken and lead
the surrender of the revolutionary movement.
http://www.visayandailystar.com/2013/January/19/topstory8.htm
The CPP/NDF have expended a great deal of effort in thier attempt to convice Filipinos that the Bayanihan program is a failure. If the program was such a failure there would be no need to launch a major propaganda effort to discredit it. It is only because the Bayanihan program has proven to be very successful that the Maoists fear it so and have made it the focus of their anti-AFP propaganda.
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