• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
There are no more active guerrilla fronts in the country, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared during his third State of the Nation Address yesterday.
“What’s left are only seven weakened New People’s Army (NPA) fronts,” he added.
The Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (ID) earlier declared the dismantling of five existing guerrilla fronts in Negros Island and another one in Panay Island.
Negros Island has already been placed in a status of stable internal peace and security by the Philippine Army, as concurred by the respective Provincial Peace and Order Councils of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental.
Marcos said that the seven weakened guerrilla fronts are the subjects of the focused operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
A weakened guerrilla front means it can no longer implement its programs like recruitment and generating resources for the armed struggle as opposed to active guerrilla fronts, according to the AFP.
As of December 2023, the AFP reported that the NPA is now down to about 1,200 fighters, far from its peak of around 25,000 in 1987.
In Negros Island, the 3ID reported that there are now at least five to seven members remaining in each dismantled guerrilla front, who are the subject of focused operations of five Army battalions.
The government is now offering amnesty program to former NPA rebels.
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), whose armed wing is the NPA, previously rejected the offer.
The 3ID reported that a total of 300 former rebels applied for amnesty in Negros Island. | GB
