• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Armed Forces of the Philippines Visayas Command reported that government troops sustained their onslaught against the New People’s Army in the Visayas region.
During the Visayas Joint Peace and Security Coordination Center (VJPSCC) meeting held at Camp Lapu Lapu in Cebu City, it was reported that three NPA ground units were successfully dismantled early this year, including the Regional Strike Force (RSF) of the Komiteng Rehiyonal Negros/Cebu/Bohol/Siquijor (KR NCBS), the ELCON Platoon of Sub-Regional Committee Browser (SRC Browser), and Platoon 1 of Island Committee Levox (IC Levox), both under the Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee (EVRPC).
In a statement, VISCOM chief Lt. Gen. Benedict Arevalo said that the continuous reduction of NPA manpower due to the surrenders and neutralization through government-initiated armed encounters, and the degradation of their firepower, coupled with the loss of their mass base, led to the collapse of the three NPA ground units.
The RSF of KR NCBS in Negros Island served as the augmentation forces of guerilla fronts in Negros, which was declared as dismantled by the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division.
Arevalo attributed the success to the iron-clad partnership between and among the security forces in the region.
“Our iron-clad partnership and continued support with each other proved to be too much for the CPP-NPA, as our collective efforts continue to drag down the terrorist group to a point of their imminent defeat,” he added.
From January to date, VISCOM reported that it has neutralized 52 NPA rebels, where 19 died in a series of encounters, 29 surrendered, while four others were apprehended. In the same period, 66 firearms were seized by government troops.
“The continuous fall of their leaders and the absence of support from the community significantly contributed to the continuous breakdown of the terrorist group. Their members on the ground have no direction and they are tired and weary, as we continue our pursuit with our focused military operations and law enforcement operations,” Arevalo further said.
While much has been achieved in our campaign against the CPP-NPA, “this is exactly the reason why we cannot stop,” the Army general said.
“We will sustain our efforts and keep up our momentum to prevent the resurgence of the terrorist group, and ensure the security and well-being of our people in the region,” Arevalo further said.*
