NTF-ELCAC: Removal of 'mass bases' greatly weakened NPA

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 1, 2024): NTF-ELCAC: Removal of 'mass bases' greatly weakened NPA (By Priam Nepomuceno)

MANILA – The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) is confident the government security forces will soon dismantle the 11 weakened New People's Army guerilla fronts within the year.

This as NTF-ELCAC executive director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. said in a statement on Sunday that the creation of the task force in 2018 is instrumental in the reduction and elimination of so-called "mass bases" that led to the weakening and subsequent dismantling of NPA guerilla fronts.

Torres added that one of the essential characteristics of an NPA-cleared area is the lack of a "mass base" and resource generation capability, which also means that the inhabitants of a cleared locality have no more sympathy toward the communist insurgents.

"Meaning, ‘yung mga tao doon mismo ang nagbibigay na ng information sa mga security forces natin kung sila (NPA) ay nagre-recover or bumabalik pa sa community to conduct atrocities or to extort money (This means that the residents there are the ones giving information to security forces of (NPA) attempts to return to community by conducting atrocities or extortion)," he added.

Torres' remarks came in response to doubts about the strength and armed capability of the NPA owing to recent encounters between state forces and communist rebels in some parts of the country.

From 89 active guerilla fronts in 2018, Torres said there are only 11 weakened NPA guerilla fronts left -- five in Luzon and three each in the Visayas and Mindanao, which he is confident will soon be taken down by government soldiers within the year.

Torres added that another characteristic of an area that had its guerilla front dismantled is the elimination of the NPA's politico-military structure and the degradation of the its capabilities to launch violent activities.

Earlier, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said more than 400 NPA rebels were neutralized this year alone, leaving the terror group with only more or less 1,000 members.

Highly significant from various focused military and police operations were the demise or capture during armed encounters of some high-ranking CPP-NPA cadres.

He added that the combination of focused military operations and infusion of the government’s Support to Barangay Development Program (SBDP) highlights the importance that community involvement plays in upholding security and averting the reappearance of threats in areas that have been cleared from the influence of the CPP-NPA.

The Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP) collectively involves residents in identifying gaps that hamper development in their communities for SBDP to come in.

Torres also said these development mechanisms go along with the implementation of Local Peace Engagement (LPE) and the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) that encourage NPA remnants to lay down their arms, surrender peacefully, and abandon the communist movement.

Torres assured that by actively collaborating with security forces, the community became an integral part of the defense against insurgent activities, ensuring long-term stability and peace in communities cleared of NPA influence.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1221750