NPA force whittled down to 1,800 – AFP

From the Manila Times (Jul 11, 2023): NPA force whittled down to 1,800 – AFP (By Franco Jose C. Baroña)

FROM a peak of 24,000 in the mid-'80s, the number of active "fighting" members of the New People's Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and National Democratic Front (NDF), has dwindled to 1,800, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Monday.

"Indeed, we have achieved strategic victory as far as countering the communist insurgency is concerned," AFP spokesman Col. Medel Aguilar said during a virtual press conference hosted by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac).

Of the 1,800 members of the NPA, 400 have been identified, are facing criminal charges, and are the subject of "focused military operations."

"They should think of getting back to their families and to the folds of the law," Aguilar said.

He said some of those identified NPA fighters hold key positions in the CPP-NPA-NDF.

Aguilar said that in the past few months, more than 600 NPA members were either killed in combat operations or voluntarily surrendered to the government, further reducing the figure from more than 2,400 in 2008.

He said military operations are now focused in Northern Samar where the remaining active guerrilla front is operating.

"We are focusing there to prevent and suppress the violence that could be coming from this remaining active guerrilla front," Aguilar said.

He said dismantling the politico-military structure of the CPP-NPA-NDF is the key objective of the AFP to achieve a total victory.

This can only be achieved "when the CPP is no longer capable of mounting atrocities or violent activities that will harm our community and disrupt our progress."

"Now, this also calls for the clearing of all affected barangay or even those threatened," Aguilar said.

He said the NPA's weakened forces can no longer sustain their operations and advance political strategy, as residents and local executives are turning their backs on them

Aguilar said the AFP has dismantled the NPA's mass bases and removed sectoral organizations as sources of funds and recruits.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/07/11/news/national/npa-force-whittled-down-to-1800-afp/1900039