CPP/NPA: NPA guerrilla warfare in Leyte beleaguers 8th ID’s OpBay; 28 soldiers killed and 23 more wounded

Posted to the CPP Website (Aug 31): NPA guerrilla warfare in Leyte beleaguers 8th ID’s OpBay; 28 soldiers killed and 23 more wounded

Dodong Malaya
Spokesperson
NPA Leyte Provincial Operations Command (Mt. Amandewin Command)

The Mt. Amandewin Command-New People’s Army in Leyte today said that its guerrilla warfare continues to beleaguer the Oplan Bayanihan of the 8th Infantry Division of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, as the latter lost 28 killed while 23 others were wounded in five armed engagements launched by the MAC-NPA-Leyte from November 2012 to March 2013. “Behind the boasting of 8th ID Maj. Gen. Gerardo Layug that the NPA is finished in Leyte, he is actually covering up their casualties while spinning lies and ingratiating with the media to keep them in the dark about the growing strength of the NPA in Leyte and the whole Philippines,” said Ka Dodong Malaya, spokesperson of the MAC-NPA.

In October 17, 2012, 12 elements of the 78th IB were killed and 15 wounded when they were ambushed by Red fighters of the MAC while onboard a truck in Sitio Calingatan, Brgy. Sto. Niño, Antipolo, Albuera, Leyte. On December 6, 2012, 12 were killed and three wounded when the MAC launched simultaneous offensives against 78th IB elements in Brgy. Antipolo, Albuera and the Alpha Coy of the 19th IB in Brgy. Rubas, Jaro, Leyte. On March 25, 2013, three were killed and two more wounded from the Charlie Coy of the 19th IB when the MAC launched a tactical offensive in Brgy. Liberty, Ormoc, Leyte. Two days after this, Red fighters had an encounter with soldiers on a hot pursuit operation, where two more were killed and two wounded. Meanwhile, one Red fighter was martyred during these armed engagements.”

Ka Dodong Malaya also said the wanton military operations by the 8th ID bring nothing but human rights violations. “Since June 2012, the soldiers have never lifted operations in the villages of Jaro, Burauen, Albuera and Baybay which are interconnected towns in Leyte. Aside from regular combat operations, there are also psywar, combat and intelligence operations by the “peace and development teams” (PDTs), the new euphemism for what used to be known as the Reengineered Special Operations Teams. They stay in the houses of civilians, compel the peasants to ask permission from them before going to their farms, and in one instance, detained four families in the village chapel. In fact, after the NPA tactical offensive inj Brgy. Rubas, Jaro, Leyte, a motorcycle-for-hire driver was summarily executed on the mere suspicion he participated in the offensive. Meanwhile, in Carigara, Leyte, 19th IB commander Lt. Col. Joel Alejandro Nacnac personally visited the houses of known members of progressive organizations to threaten them that they were NPA sympathizers and targets of the military,”

But according to Ka Dodong Malaya, the NPA continues to advance and grow strong despite wanton operations by the 8th ID and their vicious vilification of the revolutionary movement in the mass media. “The NPA is deeply rooted among the masses and cherished by the people because of its high prestige in fighting a just war for their interests. The 8th ID’s intensified military operations that only breed human rights violations further inflame the people’s desire to fight and advance the people’s war. Thus, Oplan Bayanihan surely has nowhere to go but defeat while the revolutionary movement will further strengthen and advance.”

Ka Dodong Malaya meanwhile called on all units under under the MAC-NPA to intensify and launch even more tactica offensives to answer the people’s demand for the punishment of the 8th ID over its human rights violations. “We must launch even more intensive tactical offensives not only in the framework of active defense, but to annihilate the military forces of the reactionary state and contribute to the goal of raising the level of warfare from the strategic offensive to the staretgic stalemate.”

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/20130831_npa-guerrilla-warfare-in-leyte-beleaguers-8th-id-s-opbay-28-soldiers-killed-and-23-more-wounded