ANTI-NPA FORCE. Soldiers of the newly-formed 93rd Infantry Battalion, also known as the 'Bantay Kapayapaan' (Peacekeeper). The battalion is composed of well-trained army officers and enlisted military personnel tasked to fight communist insurgents in Samar provinces. (Photo courtesy of Philippine Army)
TACLOBAN CITY -- Much has been done to wipe out the communist terrorist group in Eastern Visayas this year with the institutionalization of a “whole-of-nation approach” in addressing the five-decade communist insurgency.
Although the fight against the New People’s Army (NPA) took away the lives of many soldiers, policemen, and even civilians this year, government troops are more determined to end the armed struggle with the support of national government agencies and local government units.
As of November, at least 140 local government units in Eastern Visayas have declared the NPA as persona non grata for derailing development efforts in their communities.
UNWELCOME. Copies of resolutions declaring the New People's Army (NPA) persona non grata have been issued by 10 towns in Northern Samar. At least 140 local government units in Eastern Visayas have declared the NPA unwelcome in their localities. (Photo courtesy of the Philippine Army’s 20IB)
Brig. Gen. Ramil Bitong, assistant division commander of the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division (8ID), said they expect more local government units to formally reject the ideology and activities of the terrorist communist group in their areas.
All six provinces in the region issued the declaration. Also on the list are 58 towns, three cities, and 73 villages. The region has 136 towns, seven cities, and 4,390 villages.
“Executive Order (EO) 70 is just seven months old and Region 8 (Eastern Visayas) is one of the fastest. The rate of our declaration is faster than (in) other regions but we need some more. This is not just a declaration since this is a manifestation of rejection. They cannot simply do that if they are under the influence of (the) NPA. Something has to be done,” Bitong said.
The local government’s rejection of the NPA is in connection with EO 70 that created the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC). The declaration means treating the presence of the communist terrorist group as unwelcome and unacceptable in their communities.
President Rodrigo Duterte issued the directive to institutionalize a "whole-nation approach" policy in attaining peace and end the long-time conflict between the government and the communist group.
Among the towns that created task force ELCAC is Calbiga in Samar where the NPA launched its first tactical operation 45 years ago.
Some of the villages in Calbiga have been known as sites of clashes between government troops and armed rebels. One of the bloodiest gun battles was on April 23, where six soldiers died and another six were hurt.
Capt. Reynaldo Aragones, the Army’s 8ID spokesperson, said the creation of an ELCAC in every city and town is a big boost to their community support program.
“We are more motivated now to go up in the mountains to bring basic services to vulnerable communities, now that we have the full support of (the) task force in this campaign,” Aragones said.
National Economic and Development Authority Regional Director Meylene Rosales was upbeat that through the task force’s convergence efforts, the region would be able to resolve the decades-long insurgency.
“Peace and order should have tailor-made solutions with all government resources available. We were told to realign budget this year and propose a new budget for next year to attain our goals,” Rosales said.
Anti-recruitment drive
One of the major efforts to fight insurgency is to prevent the recruitment of NPA among teens on campuses to boost their armed struggle against the government.
The army has tied up with schools to organize a community peace development forum in various schools joined by thousands of students.
These rounds of campus-based forums are not only meant for students but also educators to further strengthen their objective in sparing the youth from the persuasions of NPA front organizations that could lead to armed rebellion.
Brig. Gen. Ramil Bitong, assistant division commander of the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division (8ID), said they expect more local government units to formally reject the ideology and activities of the terrorist communist group in their areas.
All six provinces in the region issued the declaration. Also on the list are 58 towns, three cities, and 73 villages. The region has 136 towns, seven cities, and 4,390 villages.
“Executive Order (EO) 70 is just seven months old and Region 8 (Eastern Visayas) is one of the fastest. The rate of our declaration is faster than (in) other regions but we need some more. This is not just a declaration since this is a manifestation of rejection. They cannot simply do that if they are under the influence of (the) NPA. Something has to be done,” Bitong said.
The local government’s rejection of the NPA is in connection with EO 70 that created the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC). The declaration means treating the presence of the communist terrorist group as unwelcome and unacceptable in their communities.
President Rodrigo Duterte issued the directive to institutionalize a "whole-nation approach" policy in attaining peace and end the long-time conflict between the government and the communist group.
Among the towns that created task force ELCAC is Calbiga in Samar where the NPA launched its first tactical operation 45 years ago.
Some of the villages in Calbiga have been known as sites of clashes between government troops and armed rebels. One of the bloodiest gun battles was on April 23, where six soldiers died and another six were hurt.
Capt. Reynaldo Aragones, the Army’s 8ID spokesperson, said the creation of an ELCAC in every city and town is a big boost to their community support program.
“We are more motivated now to go up in the mountains to bring basic services to vulnerable communities, now that we have the full support of (the) task force in this campaign,” Aragones said.
National Economic and Development Authority Regional Director Meylene Rosales was upbeat that through the task force’s convergence efforts, the region would be able to resolve the decades-long insurgency.
“Peace and order should have tailor-made solutions with all government resources available. We were told to realign budget this year and propose a new budget for next year to attain our goals,” Rosales said.
Anti-recruitment drive
One of the major efforts to fight insurgency is to prevent the recruitment of NPA among teens on campuses to boost their armed struggle against the government.
The army has tied up with schools to organize a community peace development forum in various schools joined by thousands of students.
These rounds of campus-based forums are not only meant for students but also educators to further strengthen their objective in sparing the youth from the persuasions of NPA front organizations that could lead to armed rebellion.
DECEPTION. A young soldier distributes reading materials illustrating the deception strategies of communist rebels. The Philippine Army has been raising awareness among students to save them from being recruited by communist rebels and their supporters. (Photo courtesy of 14th Infantry Battalion)
The capture of young rebels and the recovery of documents in Northern Samar confirmed the recruitment of students and extortion activities of the NPA in the region.
An official of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) 8 has asked tertiary students to examine the fate of young rebels.
CHED-8 Director George Colorado asked students to think of the fate of their peers who joined the communist terrorist group before listening to the latter’s ideologies.
“I don’t understand why our young people join the insurgency and they can’t learn from what happened to those who joined rebellion who suffered hunger, sickness, or even death. You can choose a better life for your family instead of going to the mountains to fight the government,” Colorado told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
The official said young people have the option to work, provide the needs of their families, become productive citizens or lead a horrible life in the mountains.
Treacherous attacks condemned
Bitong noted that growing support in the fight against the communist terrorist group has disappointed the NPA, prompting it to launch treacherous attacks against government forces by detonating landmines.
The military reported that rebels used explosives seven times this year as they attacked soldiers and policemen.
Mines detonated by rebels this year took the lives of 13 soldiers, a policeman, and four civilians, including a boy.
The use of explosives has wounded 45 soldiers, four police officers, and 12 civilians in separate attacks in Samar provinces.
“The use of landmines is really barbaric because that does not discriminate any target. In Las Navas, Northern Samar, a boy was killed and in Borongan City, three civilians perished while several others were wounded,” Bitong added.
The capture of young rebels and the recovery of documents in Northern Samar confirmed the recruitment of students and extortion activities of the NPA in the region.
An official of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) 8 has asked tertiary students to examine the fate of young rebels.
CHED-8 Director George Colorado asked students to think of the fate of their peers who joined the communist terrorist group before listening to the latter’s ideologies.
“I don’t understand why our young people join the insurgency and they can’t learn from what happened to those who joined rebellion who suffered hunger, sickness, or even death. You can choose a better life for your family instead of going to the mountains to fight the government,” Colorado told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
The official said young people have the option to work, provide the needs of their families, become productive citizens or lead a horrible life in the mountains.
Treacherous attacks condemned
Bitong noted that growing support in the fight against the communist terrorist group has disappointed the NPA, prompting it to launch treacherous attacks against government forces by detonating landmines.
The military reported that rebels used explosives seven times this year as they attacked soldiers and policemen.
Mines detonated by rebels this year took the lives of 13 soldiers, a policeman, and four civilians, including a boy.
The use of explosives has wounded 45 soldiers, four police officers, and 12 civilians in separate attacks in Samar provinces.
“The use of landmines is really barbaric because that does not discriminate any target. In Las Navas, Northern Samar, a boy was killed and in Borongan City, three civilians perished while several others were wounded,” Bitong added.
BOMBING VICTIMS. Passersby rescue tricycle passengers who are seriously wounded by an explosion perpetrated by the NPA in Libuton village in Borongan City, Eastern Samar on Dec. 13, 2019. The attack killed a police officer and three civilians while four policemen and 10 civilians, including three minors, were injured in the incident. (Photo courtesy of Alexis Genelex Deloria)
The latest incident was on December 13, when a junior police officer and an old woman were killed on the spot while four other policemen and 10 civilians, including three minors, were injured in a blast attack. A government employee died a few hours after while a mother succumbed to head injury after five days.
In Las Navas town, rebels detonated a landmine near a temporary patrol base of the Army’s 20th Infantry Battalion, Charlie Company last April 17 to harm soldiers but instead killed a Grade 3 pupil.
Last November 11, a civilian was wounded in Pinanag-an village in Borongan City, Eastern Samar. The landmine attack and gun battle killed six soldiers and wounded 24 others.
The other three incidents were recorded in San Jorge, Samar where 11 soldiers were injured on January 12; in Calbiga, Samar where six soldiers and six others were wounded on April 23; and in Basey, Samar where a soldier perished and six of his comrades were hurt.
The military repeatedly condemned the NPA for using landmines in their attacks, which shows disrespect to basic human rights. The rebels also disregarded the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.
2022 timeline
The Philippine Army’s 8ID is upbeat on ending insurgency in Samar and Leyte provinces by 2022 after the national government identified the region as one of the priority areas in its drive to wipe out the NPA.
Maj. Gen. Pio Diñoso III, 8ID commander, said as one of the "national priority areas" is crushing the NPA, they will be given the "best", both in personnel and assets.
“The President said that Samar (Island) is one of the priority areas. Meaning, we have the support. They will bring in all the best -- officials, armor assets, and air assets,” Diñoso, said.
“There is a marching order that before the President steps down, we can at least contain, not necessarily totally eliminate, the insurgency problem to a manageable level and it’s doable,” he said.
Samar Island comprises the provinces of Samar, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar, where the presence of the NPA is still felt due to poor road networks and thick forest cover.
The NPA, which has been waging a five-decade armed struggle against the government, is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
As of October 2019, the NPA in Eastern Visayas has 506 active members and 447 firearms, affecting the region's 144 remote villages, the Philippine Army reported.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1089606
The latest incident was on December 13, when a junior police officer and an old woman were killed on the spot while four other policemen and 10 civilians, including three minors, were injured in a blast attack. A government employee died a few hours after while a mother succumbed to head injury after five days.
In Las Navas town, rebels detonated a landmine near a temporary patrol base of the Army’s 20th Infantry Battalion, Charlie Company last April 17 to harm soldiers but instead killed a Grade 3 pupil.
Last November 11, a civilian was wounded in Pinanag-an village in Borongan City, Eastern Samar. The landmine attack and gun battle killed six soldiers and wounded 24 others.
The other three incidents were recorded in San Jorge, Samar where 11 soldiers were injured on January 12; in Calbiga, Samar where six soldiers and six others were wounded on April 23; and in Basey, Samar where a soldier perished and six of his comrades were hurt.
The military repeatedly condemned the NPA for using landmines in their attacks, which shows disrespect to basic human rights. The rebels also disregarded the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.
2022 timeline
The Philippine Army’s 8ID is upbeat on ending insurgency in Samar and Leyte provinces by 2022 after the national government identified the region as one of the priority areas in its drive to wipe out the NPA.
Maj. Gen. Pio Diñoso III, 8ID commander, said as one of the "national priority areas" is crushing the NPA, they will be given the "best", both in personnel and assets.
“The President said that Samar (Island) is one of the priority areas. Meaning, we have the support. They will bring in all the best -- officials, armor assets, and air assets,” Diñoso, said.
“There is a marching order that before the President steps down, we can at least contain, not necessarily totally eliminate, the insurgency problem to a manageable level and it’s doable,” he said.
Samar Island comprises the provinces of Samar, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar, where the presence of the NPA is still felt due to poor road networks and thick forest cover.
The NPA, which has been waging a five-decade armed struggle against the government, is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
As of October 2019, the NPA in Eastern Visayas has 506 active members and 447 firearms, affecting the region's 144 remote villages, the Philippine Army reported.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1089606
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