Thursday, March 29, 2018

CPP/NPA-SM: NPA offensives strike new enemy deployment in Southern Mindanao as AFP churns out fake news

NPA-Southern Mindanao propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Mar 28): NPA offensives strike new enemy deployment in Southern Mindanao as AFP churns out fake news

Rigoberto F. Sanchez, Spokesperson
NPA-Southern Mindanao

28 March 2018

In the run-up to the 49th founding anniversary of the New People’s Army, Red fighters delivered blows against the newly-deployed AFP battalions around the region. The series of tactical offensives belied the US Duterte regime’s pronouncement that the NPA is fast-becoming a “spent force” with its thousands of surrenderees. The recent NPA offensives also contradicted the AFP’s fake news concealing their battle losses.

On March 22, AFP troops were hit thrice in a series of attritive actions in North Cotabato, Davao del Norte and Compostela Valley, killing 8 soldiers and wounding at least 5 others. The 7-vehicle convoy of the 19th IB operating troops was harassed by Red fighters under the Mt. Apo Sub-Regional Command in Brgy. Manobo, Magpet town while troops of the 56th IB were ambushed in Sitio Nasilaban, Brgy. Palma Gil in Talaingod. The 19th IB fed the media false information of having killed 4 Red fighters, complete with photos to vainly give credence to fake news. On the same day, the NPA ambushed 71st IB agents on board six motorcycles in Brgy. Magangit, Maco town, killing three on the spot, and wounding four. The 71st IB unit was responsible for the series of illegal arrests, detention and extra-judicial killing of civilians in Compostela Valley, including the arrest, torture and attempted burning of bodies of a minor and a civilian last year.

On March 20, three 46IB troopers were wounded following a demolition operation in Lawasan, Pantukan by the ComVal-Davao Gulf Sub-Regional Command while on March 18, three 66IB soldiers were killed in another demolition operation by the ComVal-Davao East Coast Sub-Regional Command in Sitio Taytayan, Brgy. Andap, New Bataan.

On March 5, the joint operation of the 102nd Division Reconnaissance Company and the 39th IB were ambushed by Red fighters belonging to Mt. Apo Sub-Regional Command in Sitio Landig, Brgy. Sibulan in Sta.Cruz, Davao del Sur. The spin doctors of the 10th ID tried to save face by denying their 7 casualties and instead claimed that only one of their soldier was wounded.

In Baguio District, Davao City, troops of the 3rd IB were hit three times in attritive actions by the 3rd Pulang Bagani Company in Sitio Basicong and Sityo Utan in Brgy. Tamugan from February 23 to 26. In retaliation, enemy troops bombed the Lumad communities for two days, torched and ransacked 2 houses of civilians. Three troopers of 19th IB, meanwhile, were confirmed killed in a demolition operation of Red fighters under the Mt. Apo Sub-Regional Command in Purok 8, Brgy. Greenhills in Pres. Roxas, North Cotabato on February 24.

In Laak, Davao del Norte, enemy troops of the 60th IB were likewise harassed by Red fighters in Purok 1-A in Brgy. Kiokmay on February 11. On February 9, Guerrilla Front 56 operatives triggered command detonated explosives against the 3rd IB soldiers where five troops were killed in Sitio Balaas, Barangay Gumitan, Marilog district.

Red fighters have likewise meted out revolutionary justice against known intelligence agents of the AFP who were fanatic implementors of counter-insurgency tactics of profiling and targeting mass leaders and local activists and sowing discord among civilians. Barangay Intelligence Network (BIN) members and concurrent paramilitaries Toto Costan and Daden Diaz were neutralized on February 22 in Brgy. Manuel Guianga, Baguio District in Davao City.

While the national leadership of the AFP has been parading self-negating figures of supposed “NPA surenderees,” the situation on the ground could not be more different for the 17 battalions, four of which were only deployed in the last six months in Southern Mindanao Region. The 89th IB has been assigned in the towns of Sto. Tomas, Carmen, Dujali in Davao del Norte and Island Garden City of Samal, the 19th IB in North Cotabato while the 16th IB was deployed in the second district of Davao City. In the town of Talaingod, the 56th IB was exclusively deployed to wreak havoc among the Lumad and peasant communities late last year.

The masses in the region are, in fact, boggled by the fact that while the AFP insists that the Red Army is weakening in number due to the supposedly thousands of surrenderees in the region, four more battalions have been forward-deployed since December last year. Case in point is the recent statement of Capt. Randy Llunar, Civil Militar Officer of the recently-installed 901st Brigade in North Cotabato, who said that they are planning to add 2 more battalions to cover the towns of Antipas, Magpet, Pres. Roxas and Kidapawan City because according to their studies, the NPA force are strong in these areas.

It must also perplex the AFP’s foot soldiers to hear such preposterous claims from their command when even their forces who are supposed to be “old hands” in counter-insurgency are taking a beating from Red fighters around the region.

It is fast becoming clear that what the US-Duterte regime and the AFP lack in any substantial victory in their counter-revolutionary and anti-people Oplan Kapayapaan, they make up for fake surrenders, fake statistics and fake news.

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