• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Philippine Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade is looking forward to the complete destruction of the dismantled New People’s Army (NPA) guerrilla fronts in Negros Island.
The remnants are reported to have been roaming around in hinterland areas, where the presence of government troops are minimal.
Each dismantled guerrilla front, including its regional striking force, have remaining five to nine armed members only, according to the Philippine Army.
The 303rd Infantry Brigade supervises the 79th Infantry Battalion in northern Negros and the 62nd and 94th Infantry Battalions in central Negros while the 11th, 15th and 47th Infantry Battalions in southern Negros are under the supervision of 302nd Infantry Brigade.
The Northern Negros Front was declared dismantled in 2021, followed by the Central Negros 1 and 2 in 2023, while the South West Front and Regional Striking Force of Komiteng Rehiyonal Negros was considered dismantled in February and June this year, respectively.
In its report on Sept. 5, the 303rd Infantry Brigade said that the NPA remnants are now highly mobile and continue to evade the focused military operations launched against them while they are struggling to conduct recovery efforts.
“The security situation in Negros Occidental is generally peaceful and manageable. It greatly improved after a series of focused military operations and whole-of- nation approach activities and programs were conducted, especially in rebel affected areas,” it added.
With the Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (TF-ELCAC) programs and projects continuing to contribute in addressing root causes of insurgency, the Philippine Army said it also thwarted the attempt of rebel remnants to recover their lost territories.
The Provincial TF-ELCAC programs have been proven to be successful by providing socio-economic opportunities to former rebels and further isolating the rebel remnants from their former mass base, it added. | GB
