NEUTRALIZED. Police investigators examine the bodies of two members of the New People's Army killed in a clash with rebels on Feb. 10, 2024. The deaths of these notorious rebel leaders and fighters were attributed to the dismantling of the NPA unit in Leyte Island this year, an official said on March 19. (Photo courtesy of Philippine Army)
TACLOBAN CITY – A series of military operations and the implementation of the whole-of-nation approach caused the dismantling of two units of the New People’s Army (NPA) formed to advance their recovery attempts, the Philippine Army said on Tuesday.
Capt. Jefferson Mariano, spokesperson of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division, in a phone identified the units as platoon 2 of Island Committee 47 Levox operating in the provinces of Leyte, Biliran, and Southern Leyte, and the Elcon platoon of sub-regional committee (SRC) browser based in the provinces of Samar and Eastern Samar.
The Elcon platoon of the SRC were remnants of the dismantled two front committees in Samar Island, while the NPA’s island committee in Leyte Island was part of the rebels’ attempt to reestablish a guerilla front in Leyte and Biliran provinces.
“The dismantling of these NPA units is a big accomplishment in our campaign against insurgency. In the past, these units had leadership that could organize a community to support their logistical and military requirements,” Mariano told the Philippine News Agency.
He attributed the gains to the successful and effective implementation of programs and projects under the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (TF-ELCAC), applying a whole-of-nation approach to wipe out insurgency in conflict-affected and vulnerable areas.
Mariano said the government officially declared the dismantling of two NPA units during its meeting last week, attended by key officials from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, the Philippine Coast Guard, and the National Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Council.
In January this year, the military formally declared the four remaining guerilla fronts in Eastern Visayas as dismantled. These are front committee 2, SRC emporium; front committee 1, SRC emporium; front committee 15, SRC arctic; and front committee 3, SRC arctic.
Major Gen. Camilo Ligayo said in a statement that the dismantling of these NPA units is the fruit of the aggressive campaign of the security sector against insurgency.
“Let us actively support the programs of the local government to peacefully resolve all armed conflicts in Eastern Visayas. Let us encourage everybody to follow the path of peace and condemn those who advocate violence and the use of arms. Let us condemn the armed struggle and NPA atrocities and give peace a chance,” Ligayo said.
Regional Peace and Order Council chair and Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez earlier said the remarkable success of the security sector reflects the collective commitment of all units under the Joint Task Force Storm and the regional TF-ELCAC in Eastern Visayas.
“ELCAC has proven that through collaborative efforts, we can surely eradicate the remaining local communists. The problem in insurgency is everyone’s responsibility so let us continue to be united in this quest to end the local communist armed conflict to attain long-lasting peace and socio-economic progress within our community,” Romualdez added.
Significant achievements that led to the dismantling of NPA units in 2024 included the neutralization of the secretary of SRC during an encounter in Borongan City, Eastern Samar on Jan. 6, the recovery of nine high-powered firearms and other NPA items in Calbayog City, Samar on Feb. 4, and the neutralization of two NPA fighters, including one high-value individual, during an encounter in Albuera, Leyte, on Feb. 10. (PNA)
