• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Visayas Command (VISCOM) reported that it continues to deliver devastating blows to the New People’s Army CPP-NPA in the Visayas region, as the terrorist group again sustained heavy losses during the third quarter of this year.
In a statement, Lt. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, VISCOM chief, said they will continue their relentless focused military operations to push them further to their imminent collapse.
VISCOM records indicate that a total of 79 NPA rebels were neutralized in the third quarter of this year, including Rebecca Alfaro, alias Jing, secretary of the Southern Front of the Komiteng Rehiyonal Panay, who was killed in a gun battle with the 61st Infantry Battalion, along with 110 firearms and 25 anti personnel mines seized by Army soldiers during the same period.
Stressing that the long arm of justice continues to catch up with NPA leaders and their members, Arevalo said that the CPP-NPA’s reign of terror in Visayas is nearing its end.
He attributed their significant gains against the NPA remnants in Visayas to the whole of nation approach campaign of the National Task Force Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict, which not only addresses the issues being exploited by the terrorist group, but also provided an avenue to pursue the terrorist group on a different field, particularly the courts.
In the same period, VISCOM also reported a total of 569 community development projects in Visayas under the NTF-ELCAC Barangay Development Program (BDP) have been completed, with 280 projects in Region 6.
A total of 74 criminal complaints have been filed against the CPP-NPA, including murder cases, destruction of civilian property, use and stockpiling of anti personnel mines, and the use of children in armed conflict, VISCOM reports further indicated.*
