MANILA — Troops in the countryside are more than ready to face any attacks by remnants of the New People’s Army (NPA), who are now desperate due to the government’s decision to permanently terminate the peace talks with their political leaders.
“Yes, our troops are already given instructions and we are actually in the offensive in running after their armed group and their fronts organizations,” Armed Forces of Philippines (AFP) public affairs office chief Col. Noel Detoyato said Monday in a message to the Philippine News Agency (PNA) when asked if military units in far-flung areas are ready for any surprise attacks by the communist rebels.
Despite these operations, Detoyato said the AFP is more than willing to accept the surrender of NPA fighters and sympathizers who want to return to mainstream society.
“While we are on it, the offer for them to abandon the armed struggle is always given emphasis,” he stressed.
Surrendering rebels can avail of the benefits offered by Task Force ‘Balik Loob’ and the counterpart benefits from the local government units (LGUs), he added.
Task Force “Balik Loob” is the government body tasked with implementing the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP), a flagship program of the Duterte administration that seeks to effect social healing and national unity through a whole-of-nation approach, towards the higher objective of having just and lasting peace.
It also provides social equity to former members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front and the Militia ng Bayan by devising a different modality of providing benefits and services to the former rebels, in order to reintegrate them into mainstream society.
Detoyato stressed that Executive Order (EO) 70, which institutionalized a whole-of-nation approach in attaining peace and created a National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, will help address the void left by the termination of the so-called “peace talks” with the communist rebels.
“EO 70 or the whole of government and whole of nation approach will address the void that will be left in the abrogation of the supposed to be ‘peace talks’. The local and international sources of funds fueling the armed rebellion and the groups fronting for them are now being addressed. With this, we are confident that this 50-year-old (Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria ‘Joma’) Sison-induced insurgency is nearing its irreversible downward trend going towards irrelevance,” he added.
The CPP-NPA is listed as terrorist organization by both the United States and the European Union.
