With Internal Peace and Security Program
"Bayanihan" to be concluded by 2016, newly-appointed Philippine Army
(PA) head Major Gen. Eduardo Año vowed to defeat the New People's Army by 2016.
"The objective is to defeat the Communist Party of the
Philippines-New People's Army by the end of 2016, so we will focus on areas
(with heavy rebel and lawless element presence), particularly the Eastern
Mindanao area. We will focus our resources and deploy the best commanders
there," he added.
Aside from the Eastern Mindanao area, other
rebel-infiltrated areas include Bicol and parts of the Eastern
Visayas .
NPA strength is currently placed at 4,100 or 400 lower than
the 4,500 reported in 2014.
About half of them are based in the Eastern
Mindanao provinces.
With this prioritization, Año believes that the objective of
beating the NPA threat means that the insurgent threat must be reduced to make
them inconsequential.
"This means to say that they can be regarded as (just)
a law enforcement matter," he added.
And in regards to the Abu Sayyaf, the newly-appointed PA
chief said that they will continue sending elite units in Basilan and Sulu to
complement ongoing law enforcement operations there.
However, Año said that he is not giving any timetable on the
destruction of the estimated 1,000 bandits as these are merely concentrated in
small groups.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=783082
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