From ABS-CBN (Jul 10, 2023): AFP: Only one active NPA guerrilla front remaining in Philippines (Bianca Dava)
Communist rebels celebrate the 49th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines in 2017. Mark Saludes, ABS-CBN News/file
MANILA — Only one out of 89 known guerrilla fronts of the New People's Army (NPA) remains active in the Philippines, the military said Monday.
“When before there were 5 active guerrilla fronts, these are now reduced to 1. We had the dismantling of 2 guerrilla fronts and weakening of 2,” Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar told reporters.
While the military was still pursuing 2 more fronts, they have already been classified as "weakened" and "unable to implement programs" of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
The remaining active guerrilla front is located in the northern part of Samar, Aguilar said, adding that the AFP expects it to be dismantled at the soonest possible time as NPA rebel forces continue to decrease.
As of July, only some 1,800 communist rebels are still bearing arms.
“If we are talking about the 2,008 members of the CPP-NPA in the end of 2022, now, the strength of the CPP has been reduced to 1,800. We have accounted more than 600 neutralizations but some of these are not listed because many belong to what we call legal organizations. When they found out that there was no way out, they surrendered,” Aguilar said.
“What we want to achieve is not just strategic victory, but a total victory. When you talk about total victory, there will be no organized crime group like the NPA that the party can use its political objective. That’s why, we have to remove the mass pieces they have started. We have to recover them. We also have to clear barangays and sectoral front organizations that they have established so there will be no sources of support and additional recruits,” he explained.
With the “successful” internal security operations (ISO) against communist terrorist groups, the AFP would shift its resources to external defense operations.
Aguilar also noted an increased capacity and capability brought by the AFP modernization program.
“As far as the modernization project is concerned, we have already completed 36 percent of the projects in terms of number and many are being implemented,” he said.
“With the pronouncement of the President that he will continue to support the modernization program at the same time make sure our human resources are able to develop their skills, then we can expect more support from the national government. This is good for our people and the country in advancing national security," Aguilar also said.
The Philippines has the world's longest communist insurgency, which has been going on for more than five decades since Jose Maria Sison founded the CPP in 1968.
MANILA — Only one out of 89 known guerrilla fronts of the New People's Army (NPA) remains active in the Philippines, the military said Monday.
“When before there were 5 active guerrilla fronts, these are now reduced to 1. We had the dismantling of 2 guerrilla fronts and weakening of 2,” Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar told reporters.
While the military was still pursuing 2 more fronts, they have already been classified as "weakened" and "unable to implement programs" of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
The remaining active guerrilla front is located in the northern part of Samar, Aguilar said, adding that the AFP expects it to be dismantled at the soonest possible time as NPA rebel forces continue to decrease.
As of July, only some 1,800 communist rebels are still bearing arms.
“If we are talking about the 2,008 members of the CPP-NPA in the end of 2022, now, the strength of the CPP has been reduced to 1,800. We have accounted more than 600 neutralizations but some of these are not listed because many belong to what we call legal organizations. When they found out that there was no way out, they surrendered,” Aguilar said.
“What we want to achieve is not just strategic victory, but a total victory. When you talk about total victory, there will be no organized crime group like the NPA that the party can use its political objective. That’s why, we have to remove the mass pieces they have started. We have to recover them. We also have to clear barangays and sectoral front organizations that they have established so there will be no sources of support and additional recruits,” he explained.
With the “successful” internal security operations (ISO) against communist terrorist groups, the AFP would shift its resources to external defense operations.
Aguilar also noted an increased capacity and capability brought by the AFP modernization program.
“As far as the modernization project is concerned, we have already completed 36 percent of the projects in terms of number and many are being implemented,” he said.
“With the pronouncement of the President that he will continue to support the modernization program at the same time make sure our human resources are able to develop their skills, then we can expect more support from the national government. This is good for our people and the country in advancing national security," Aguilar also said.
The Philippines has the world's longest communist insurgency, which has been going on for more than five decades since Jose Maria Sison founded the CPP in 1968.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/10/23/afp-only-one-active-npa-guerrilla-front-remaining-in-ph
