December 27, 2022 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Due to sustained navy operations coupled with the whole-of-nation method of bringing growth to far-flung areas and providing advantages to surrenderees, the navy believes that the New Folks’s Army (NPA) now has solely 2,112 fighters left.
After 54 years of existence, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) mentioned the communist insurgent group, thought-about as an area terrorist group, has suffered important strategic losses because it misplaced a large number of guerrilla models, leaders and members.
The navy, releasing figures yesterday, mentioned the NPA has been decreased to 2,112 members with 1,876 firearms, from 89 to 22 guerrilla fronts with 17 already labeled as weakened.
The navy mentioned NPA leaders neutralized by authorities forces embody Helenita Pardales, secretary of the Japanese Visayas regional social gathering committee; Ericson Acosta, prime NPA chief of Komite Rehiyon-Cebu-Bohol, Negros, Siquijor; Rogelio Sapon Gerondio Jr., secretary of sub-regional committee 3 in Agusan del Norte; and Gina Belsa Granada, secretary of defunct guerrilla entrance in Zamboanga del Norte.
The AFP additionally claimed that from as excessive as P4.2 billion in 2017, the NPA was allegedly solely capable of extort P8.5 million in 2022.
Throughout the current celebration of the 87th AFP founding anniversary rites, Armed Forces chief Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro mentioned the navy has achieved strategic victory in opposition to the NPA.
“We will confidently state that we’ve achieved strategic victory and are inching nearer to complete victory in opposition to these terrorists,” he mentioned. “Our localized peace-building efforts, with multi-stakeholder and whole-of-nation method, additionally yielded constructive outcomes, as we inspired enemies of the state to return to the fold of the legislation and construct goodwill with communities.”
AFP spokesman Col. Medel Aguilar mentioned the Communist Get together of the Philippines (CPP), following the dying of its founder Jose Maria Sison final Dec. 16, has misplaced its relevance. “The dying of its founding chair, ‘trainer and guiding gentle’ leaves the UGM (underground motion) with no sense of goal and path,” Aguilar mentioned.
The CPP central committee yesterday dismissed the Philippine navy and protection division’s declare that NPA guerrilla fronts are “now down to 5,” calling the determine “ludicrous.”
Though the CPP acknowledged the underground armed motion has suffered setbacks and losses in some elements, “these are primarily brought on by inner weaknesses and errors.”
It stays assured “that (it) can achieve unprecedented power, lead the revolutionary motion within the Philippines to steadily advance within the coming years and obtain victories a lot better than ever earlier than.” – Artemio Dumlao, Ralph Edwin Villanueva, Jose Rodel Clapano
