ANTI-NPA RALLY. Residents of Las Navas stage-ing a protest against the New People's Army in this undated photo. The Regional Task Force on Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict in Eastern Visayas on Monday (July 20, 2020) warns against the online propaganda campaign and recruitment of the communist terrorist group during the ongoing health crisis. (Photo courtesy of Philippine Army 20th Infantry Battalion)
The Regional Task Force on Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) in Eastern Visayas has warned against the online propaganda campaign and recruitment of the communist terrorist group during the health crisis.
National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) Regional Director Eustacio Bacabac said Monday afternoon that movement restrictions due to pandemic prompted the Communist Party of the Philippines–New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) to use the online platforms targeting students.
“There are efforts to recruit new members by exploiting issues such as the deployment of police and soldiers in checkpoints, mass testing, unfair distribution of cash aid, the passage of Anti-Terrorism Law and release of political prisoners,” Bacabac said in a press briefing at the Department of the Interior and Local Government regional office here.
He told reporters the CPP-NPA and their front organizations consider the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) crisis as a “great opportunity” to rally the people against the government.
The official said insurgents resorted to other tactics as the health crisis hindered their regular recruitment efforts, organizing and mobilizing activities, as well as raising funds for logistics.
Among the left-leaning groups active in social media recruitment are the League of Filipino Students and Kabataan Partylist, said Bacabac, also the head of the RTF-ELCAC situational awareness knowledge management cluster.
“A whole-of-government approach is necessary for increasing public awareness on the lies and the deceit employed by the CPP-NPA to sway its people to support an armed struggle. They are taking advantage of the unfavorable economic condition to fan discontent against the government and to entice recruits to join their ranks,” Bacabac added.
The NICA official has asked task force members and journalists to help the government counter these strategies by spreading the truth using social media accounts.
Established in 1971 to 1973, the CPP-NPA’s Eastern Visayas Regional Party Community has collapsed from 1993 to 2014 due to the massive drive of the government to eliminate insurgents. The collapse prompted rebels to recruit new members starting in 2015, Bacabac said in his presentation during the press briefing.
As of mid-2020, the NPA in Eastern Visayas has 384 fighters with 363 firearms, influencing 162 villages, a small fraction of the 4,390 villages in the region’s six provinces.
Affected villages are in Bobon, Catarman, Lope de Vega, Pambujan, Silvino Lobos, Las Navas, Palapag, Gamay, and Lapinig in Northern Samar; Jipapad, Arteche, San Policarpo, Oras, San Julian, Gen. Macarthur, Llorente, Borongan City, Giporlos and Balangiga in Eastern Samar; Hinabangan, Calbiga, Pinabacdao, Villareal, Basey and Marabut in Samar; and Mahaplag and Abuyog in Leyte, the same presentation showed.
From January to July 2020, the communist terrorist group launched violent activities such as burning the body of a soldier, shooting and abduction of former rebels, extortion of relief goods, and planting of landmines.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1109580
National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) Regional Director Eustacio Bacabac said Monday afternoon that movement restrictions due to pandemic prompted the Communist Party of the Philippines–New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) to use the online platforms targeting students.
“There are efforts to recruit new members by exploiting issues such as the deployment of police and soldiers in checkpoints, mass testing, unfair distribution of cash aid, the passage of Anti-Terrorism Law and release of political prisoners,” Bacabac said in a press briefing at the Department of the Interior and Local Government regional office here.
He told reporters the CPP-NPA and their front organizations consider the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) crisis as a “great opportunity” to rally the people against the government.
The official said insurgents resorted to other tactics as the health crisis hindered their regular recruitment efforts, organizing and mobilizing activities, as well as raising funds for logistics.
Among the left-leaning groups active in social media recruitment are the League of Filipino Students and Kabataan Partylist, said Bacabac, also the head of the RTF-ELCAC situational awareness knowledge management cluster.
“A whole-of-government approach is necessary for increasing public awareness on the lies and the deceit employed by the CPP-NPA to sway its people to support an armed struggle. They are taking advantage of the unfavorable economic condition to fan discontent against the government and to entice recruits to join their ranks,” Bacabac added.
The NICA official has asked task force members and journalists to help the government counter these strategies by spreading the truth using social media accounts.
Established in 1971 to 1973, the CPP-NPA’s Eastern Visayas Regional Party Community has collapsed from 1993 to 2014 due to the massive drive of the government to eliminate insurgents. The collapse prompted rebels to recruit new members starting in 2015, Bacabac said in his presentation during the press briefing.
As of mid-2020, the NPA in Eastern Visayas has 384 fighters with 363 firearms, influencing 162 villages, a small fraction of the 4,390 villages in the region’s six provinces.
Affected villages are in Bobon, Catarman, Lope de Vega, Pambujan, Silvino Lobos, Las Navas, Palapag, Gamay, and Lapinig in Northern Samar; Jipapad, Arteche, San Policarpo, Oras, San Julian, Gen. Macarthur, Llorente, Borongan City, Giporlos and Balangiga in Eastern Samar; Hinabangan, Calbiga, Pinabacdao, Villareal, Basey and Marabut in Samar; and Mahaplag and Abuyog in Leyte, the same presentation showed.
From January to July 2020, the communist terrorist group launched violent activities such as burning the body of a soldier, shooting and abduction of former rebels, extortion of relief goods, and planting of landmines.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1109580
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