• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Some 54 Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) rebels have been neutralized, of which 19 had been killed in various encounters with Army soldiers in the Visayas, in September, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Visayas Command (VISCOM) has reported.
Thirty-two other rebels have surrendered while 32 assorted firearms and nine anti- personnel mines were recovered.
On Sept. 29, 12 armed remnants of the dismantled Northern Negros Front under Komiteng Rehiyonal Negros/Cebu/Bohol/Siquijor have surrendered to the 79th Infantry Battalion, a week after six rebels died in an encounter with 47th Infantry Battalion in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental.
VISCOM chief Lt. Gen. Benedict Arevalo said in a statement the debacles suffered by the CPP-NPA will add up to their dwindling manpower and degrade their armed capability.
This will significantly deter their plans to conduct atrocities and sow fear to people in the upcoming synchronized barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, he added.
Arevalo said the NPA remnants in Visayas are “now restless and under so much pressure” and also “have no safe place to hide”.
“It is only a matter of time before they will be pushed to the brink of irreversible collapse,” he said.
The Army’s 3rd Infantry Division has categorized the three remaining guerilla fronts in Negros Island, including the Central Negros 1, Central Negros 2 and South West Front, as “weakened” after the Northern Negros Front and South East Front have already been dismantled.
“Our collective efforts with the local government units in clearing the barangays from NPA infestation have gained ground. The people are not only aware of the evils brought by the CPP-NPA, but have become more active in supporting our internal security operations, resulting in the series of setbacks suffered by the terrorist group throughout the Visayas region,” Arevalo said. | GB
