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‘Reds’ no longer in power, says AFP spox
The Armed Forces of the Philippines declared that the influence of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front in the country has significantly declined with only one remaining active guerrilla front operating in Northern Samar. In a press conference on Monday, AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar, reported that the members of the CPP-NPA-NDF have “tremendously reduced” to around 1,800 members—from a peak of 24,000 rebels in the mid-80s. "Indeed, we have achieved strategic victory as far as countering the communist insurgency is concerned," Aguilar said. AFP chief, Gen. Andres Centino, has earlier announced that the AFP is now shifting from internal security operations to external defense operations, following the government’s gradual triumph against the communist insurgents. Aguilar said around 400 out of 1,800 active NPA members have already been identified and now facing criminal charges. These 1,800 active communist rebels, with some holding key positions in the CPP-NPA-NDF, are all subjected to focused military operations. Hence, Aguilar advised the rebels to surrender instead. "They should think of getting back to their families and to the folds of the law,” he said. Aguilar said more than 600 NPA members were either killed in combat operations or voluntarily surrendered to the government—the number further reduced from more than 2,400 members back in 2008. “The military operations are now focused in Northern Samar to prevent and suppress the violence that could be coming from this remaining active guerrilla front,” he added. Aguilar underscored that the dismantling of the politico-military structure of the CPP-NPA-NDF “is the key objective of the AFP” to achieve the country’s total victory against communist rebellion. “This can only be achieved when the CPP is no longer capable of mounting atrocities or violent activities that will harm our community and disrupt our progress,” he added. "Now, this also calls for the clearing of all affected barangays or even those threatened to make sure that when this shift is focused on territorial defense operation, there will be no ISO problem to look back on, and by that—we expect that with the guidance and direction given by the President, we will be moving for you will be shifting to TDO. All of us are united towards that purpose," Aguilar said. According to Aguilar, the AFP is not abandoning its mandate for peaceful resolution of the local communist armed conflict as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s "bringers of peace" and as a potent instrument of unity. The AFP is also open to recommending amnesty for those insurgents who will surrender to the government, he added. The post ‘Reds’ no longer in power, says AFP spox appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Give LPE a chance
Newly appointed Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro made a deeply rooted statement about the peace talks between the Philippine government and communist rebels that have dragged on for several decades, with intermittent periods of very little progress and setbacks. Without mincing words, Teodoro said he had always been against entering into peace negotiations with the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army. This is equally consistent with his position that communist rebels are welcome to return to the government fold given an existing program that offers “to help them, rehabilitate them and give them a new life.” Why is this so? For Teodoro, why engage in peace talks when there is Task Force Balik-Loob — a central coordinating body created by Administrative Order No. 10 dated 3 April 2018 that supervises the government’s reintegration efforts for members of the CPP-NPA-NDF, including their immediate family members. The task force is composed of representatives from the DND, DILG, OPAPRU, and other partner government agencies. I couldn’t agree with the Defense Secretary more. In a recent television interview, he said he was never convinced that the Philippine insurgency — the longest-running in Asia — was ideological. His explanation was clear. “This is all about taking power or whatever. The reason, even in other countries, the sole authority of the Communist Party in other countries is a dictatorship in itself. They call it the dictatorship of the proletariat.” We have in front of us a duplicity of the communist agenda — a pro-people advocacy on one hand, and the overthrow of the government on the other. The history of the peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front, CPP’s political wing, is long and complex spanning several decades. When Corazon C. Aquino assumed the presidency after the People Power Revolution in 1986, peace talks were initiated and detained top communist leaders, including Jose Maria Sison and Bernabe Buscayno, were released. Since then, there have been several attempts at peace negotiations between the government and the Reds, facilitated by third-party mediators, including the Catholic Church, various civil society groups, and foreign governments. The most recent attempt at peace talks was in 2016 during the first year in office of then-President Rodrigo Duterte. It, however, broke down in 2017 after both sides accused the other of violating the ceasefire agreement. Duterte, exasperated by the insincerity, formally terminated the peace negotiations with the CPP-NPA in 2018 through Proclamation 360. Despite this, there have been sporadic calls for the resumption of the peace talks, particularly from civil society groups and the international community. More than 40 rounds of peace talks with the CPP-NPA-NDF since 1986 proved futile, marred by spoilers who used violence to attack the peace process. Or were these attempts aimed at forcing their way into negotiations, and alter a process so that their demands would be included in a settlement? Opinions vary, often dependent on political, social, and ideological perspectives. While some people argue that pursuing peace talks is the best way to end the decades-long armed insurgency, others are skeptical about the prospects as evidenced by the little willingness to negotiate in good faith, human rights violations, coupled with unreasonable and unrealistic demands. Peace is a priority for more than 110 million Filipinos who hope to see an end to the decades-long insurgency in the country. If top-level negotiated settlements fail, there is the Localized Peace Engagement or LPE — a viable alternative solution to the armed conflict. Introduced by the national government in 2017 after the breakdown of the peace negotiations with the Reds, let us give this community-based approach to peacebuilding a chance. After all, who wouldn’t want to address the underlying social, economic, and political grievances that fuel armed conflicts? The post Give LPE a chance appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Rights group calls on high court to protect rights defenders
In its second manifestation, the group stressed that the SC should revisit the CA ruling as their leaders and members continue to experience judicial harassment, threats, and red-tagging by military and police authorities, including those perpetrated by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesperson and Southern Luzon Command chief Antonio Parlade Jr. The post Rights group calls on high court to protect rights defenders appeared first on Bulatlat......»»
NSA issues & lsquo;gag order& lsquo; over red-tagging of pantry hosts
The spokespersons of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTC-ELCAC) were ordered to shut up, after they stirred up a hornet's nest and triggered calls to defund the agency by accusing organizers of charitable community pantries of being communists......»»
Makabayan calls for realignment of P19 billion anti-insurgency fund
Members of the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives are pushing for the removal of the P19.1-billion proposed budget of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict for next year......»»
UN chief calls blocked aid for Gaza a moral outrage
A majority of Gaza's 2.3 million residents are sheltering around Rafah. Though conditions are worse in the north of the strip, the plight of civilians across the territory has deteriorated sharply as the conflict has ground on......»»
US warns China against armed attack on Philippines
Washington, DC [US], March 19 (ANI): US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned China on Tuesday, stating that any "armed" attack on Philippine vessels in the South China Sea would activate a mutual self-defence agreement between Washington and Manila, underscoring the escalating tensions in the region that could potentially embroil the United States in conflict with Beijing, as reported by The New York Times. Despite th.....»»
NTF-Elcac seeks more funds for former ‘rebel-infested’ brgys
THE National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) is seeking more funding support for barangays that were formerly infiltrated or influenced by communist rebels......»»
Badoy guilty of indirect contempt for threats vs judge
The Supreme Court has slapped a P30,000 fine against Lorraine Badoy, former spokesperson for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict for indirect contempt over her “vitriolic statements and outright threats” against a judge......»»
Youth groups in Southern Tagalog oppose reso urging military-led ‘national security awareness’ bid in schools
By JACINTO LINGATONG Bulatlat.com SANTA CRUZ, Laguna — Youth groups in Southern Tagalog have strongly opposed the proposed resolution of the 202nd Infantry Brigade, Philippine Army and CALABARZON Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF ELCAC) urging the Department of Education (DepEd) Region IV-A, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Region IV-A, Technical… The post Youth groups in Southern Tagalog oppose reso urging military-led ‘national security awareness’ bid in schools appeared first on Bulatlat......»»
Government sees total victory vs Reds, end of NTF-ELCAC
The government expects to achieve “total victory” over communist rebels this year, which will mean the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict will no longer be needed, the assistant director general of the National Security Council said yesterday......»»
Group hits Imee reaction on NTF-ELCAC
The progressive group Karapatan criticized the reactions of Sen. Imee Marcos and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict to the call of UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan to have the NTF-ELCAC abolished......»»
United Nations rapporteur urges NTF-ELCAC abolition; government says no
Following her 10-day official visit to the Philippines, United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression Irene Khan on Friday urged the government to abolish the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), which she said will address red-tagging and allow for more inclusive peace-making platforms in the country......»»
NTF-ELCAC should have ended with Duterte — ex-senator
Former senator and justice secretary Leila de Lima said that the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict should have been disbanded since former President Rodrigo Duterte stepped out of office......»»
NSC s Malaya told: Red-tagging can be prosecuted
The statement released by the NUJP on Thursday came a day after the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict quoting Malaya mentioned that criminalizing red-tagging is “impossible......»»
Statement | For exposing NTF-ELCAC’s lies, Bicol journo red-tagged anew
Bulatlat condemns the latest red-tagging of Albay-based journalist Reynard Magtoto who wrote an in-depth report about the lies and deceptive activities of the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in the region. The post Statement | For exposing NTF-ELCAC’s lies, Bicol journo red-tagged anew appeared first on Bulatlat......»»
NTF-ELCAC in 2023 – the year at a glance
Last Wednesday, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict invited all existing, or what remains to be what is left of rebels from the New People’s Army, to surrender and begin a new chapter in their lives as they enter the new year......»»
NSC laments Reds’ order to intensify attacks
The National Security Council slammed yesterday the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front for calling on its armed members to launch fresh and bigger attacks against the government despite ongoing exploratory talks on possible peace negotiations in Oslo, Norway......»»
Reds declare 2-day holiday ceasefire, a first in 4 years
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) ordered its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), to lay down its arms for two days, from 12:01 a.m. on Christmas Day to 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 26, to mark the group’s 55th anniversary. The ceasefire announcement came a month after the Nov. 23 signing by the.....»»
Reds declare 2-day unilateral ceasefire
CAGAYAN DE ORO (MindaNews / 23 December) — The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) ordered its guerilla forces to suspend for two days their offensives against the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police units all over the country. In an email sent by CPP spokesperson Marco Valbuena to news organizations […].....»»