• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reported that it has neutralized about 40 members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in the Visayas region, within a period of one month.
Of that number, 17 were killed during encounters, while 23 surrendered to the authorities, a report from the AFP Visayas Command said.
The military also seized 54 weapons, of which 38 were recovered after gun fights, seven were found from the homes of rebels, and nine were surrendered.
The most recent armed encounter took place on May 28, in Barangay Mabini, Catarman town, Northern Samar, that resulted in deaths of four NPA rebels, the recovery of two M16 rifles and two caliber .45 pistols.
Ten others were killed in Moises Padilla and Cauayan, Negros Occidental, as well as Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental.
In a statement, AFP Visayas Command chief, Lt. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, attributed their achievement to their never-ending campaign and dedication in their quest to put an end to the local communist armed conflict in the Visayas region.
“Amidst performing our mandate on HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response), they were still able to address the threat of the CPP-NPA. This is a clear manifestation of how motivated our troops are in ensuring the safety and security of our people in this part of the country,” Arevalo said.
He also reported that 564 members and supporters of CPP-NPA renounced support from the communist terrorist group and promised to cooperate with the government.
Of the number, 63 are members of the Basic Party Organ (BOP), 157 of Yunit Militia, and 342 are part of the mass organization.
“The CPP-NPA in the Visayas region has been substantially weakened having incurred devastating losses in their manpower and armed capability, as well as the collapse of their support system from the community,” Arevalo said.
“Hence, our focused military operations will go on. There will be no safe place for these terrorists to hide nor a haven for them to rest. We will hunt them down until justice is served,” he stressed.*
