Rebels still active in NPA-free provinces

THE communist New People’s Army (NPA) remains active in Nueva Ecija and Aurora even as these provinces had long been declared insurgency-free.

The rebels on Monday engaged elements of the 48th Battalion (48IB), 7th Infantry Division (ID) while the government forces was conducting security operations in nearby Sitio Sibbagan, Barangay Landingan, Nagtipunan, Quirino, which, incidentally, is also one of the 25 provinces declared as NPA-free.

The 7th ID is based in Fort Ramon Magsaysay, Palayan City, Nueva Ecija.

Major Enrico Gil C Ileto, 7th ID spokesman, explained that the NPA unit that exchanged fire with the Army troops were remnant forces from Nueva Ecija and Aurora provinces.

The encounter said left two rebels dead. Recovered from the encounter site were an M16 rifle with M203 grenade launcher, one M16 rifle, one M14, one M79 grenade launcher and documents with high intelligence value.

Prior to the encounter, government forces discovered an abandoned camp of the same NPA group, indicating that the rebels, though small in number, continue to roam the so-called insurgency-free areas.

No casualty was reported on the government side.

According to Ileto, the soldiers pre-empted the NPA’s alleged plan to disrupt a medical and livelihood mission being conducted by a German non-governmental organization.

Earlier declared as NPA-free were the provinces of Aklan, Apayao, Ifugao, Kalinga, Nueva Viscaya, Quirino, Nueva Ecija, Aurora, Biliran, Cebu, Bohol, Camiguin, Misamis Oriental, South Cotabato, La Union, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Cavite, Marinduque, Romblon, Guimaras, Siquijor, Northern and Southern Leyte and soon Ilocos Norte.

The AFP claims that NPA’s strength went down further to 4,043 or 7.8 percent in 2011, lower than the previous year’s 4,384 from a peak of 24,430.

But the CPP had disputed the claim of the AFP, saying that the NPA and revolutionary forces were steadily growing in strength and poised for big leap in the coming years.

It said that the AFP report was pure “hogwash”, adding that Internal Peace and Security Plan Bayanihan, the government’s new anti-insurgency strategy, has been a complete failure in terms of its objective of decimating the NPA.

The communist rebels had also strongly made their presence felt in other provinces such as Bukidnon and Samar provinces. –WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL REPORTER, Manila Times