Nolcom makes 'final push' vs. rebels in Northern, Central Luzon (By Zorayda Tecson)

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 16, 2021): Nolcom makes 'final push' vs. rebels in Northern, Central Luzon (By Zorayda Tecson) 

Nolcom commander Lt. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr. (PNA File photo)

The Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) is making its final push to permanently weed out communist terrorists from Northern and Central Luzon.

Nolcom commander Lt. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr. said Tuesday they are further intensifying their internal security efforts to totally decimate the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in these areas.

“We are right on track, and we are taking the extra mile to ensure that we will further hasten the decimation of the communist terrorists in Northern Luzon to comply with the President’s directive to end the communist insurgency by the end of his term,” Burgos said in a statement.

He said the series of government wins in the fight against rebels will have detrimental effects on the communist terrorists.

“The series of debacles suffered by the communist terrorists in North and Central Luzon will further drag down the morale of their members while causing leadership vacuum in their group, which will eventually lead to the downfall of their reign of terror in this part of the country,” he added.

Burgos called on the remaining members of the CPP-NPA to answer the call of the government for them to surrender.

“We urge the remnants of the communist terrorists in Northern Luzon to lay down your arms and abandon your armed struggle. Heed the call of the government for you to return to the folds of the law and avail of its local integration program. If you insist, we will not hesitate to use the full force of the law,” he added.

The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

The Anti-Terrorism Council also formally designated the National Democratic Front as a terrorist organization on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and separate part” of the CPP-NPA that was created in April 1973.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1159960