Division Public Affairs Office, Camp Peralta, Jamindan, Capiz— As the New Peoples’ Army in Panay and Negros islands celebrate their 41st year of terrorism and existence, we in the 3ID owe it to our public to show how your Army’s internal security operations have succeeded against the NPA in the past year.
Military records show that the 3rd Infantry Division conducted a total of 20,155 ground opera-tions including three (3) Division-directed, 17 Brigade-initiated, 81 Battalion-initiated and 167 Company-size combat operations and 19,887 small unit patrols which resulted to 49 combat engagements against the Communist Terrorist NPA in both Panay and Negros islands.
These operations also resulted in the neutrali-zation of 232 communist terrorist regulars, recovery of 59 high-powered and low-powered firearms and the seizure of 50 enemy encampments, the largest of which belonged to the Southern Front Committee of the NPA in Tigbanaba, Igbaras, Iloilo.
Our continuous operations and the dedication of our soldiers to their respective missions resulted to a 38 percent decrease in communist terrorist strength in Negros and Panay islands from a high of 613 in Jan 2009 to 381 today. Of these 232 communist terrorist members neutralized, three (3) high ranking Communist movement personalities were included who are: Nilda Bertulano, secretary of Larangan Gerilya 1, KR-Negros; Cirila Estrada, secretary of Southern Front, KR-Panay; and, Arturo Moleta, secretary of South Western Front, KR-Negros.
The decrease in their number is based on surrenders, arrests, and captures during the conduct of our internal security operations in these islands. The majority of the neutralized CT’s laid down their arms to avail of the SIP. Some 104 former rebels have been processed and awarded by the OPAPP since January 2009, while some are still on process. The remaining were arrested, captured, or killed in encounters with our soldiers.
As of March 29, the NPA hastily claim responsibility for criminal acts to show that they are still a force to be reckoned with. The incident in Maricalum in Negros was manufactured and spun by their propagandist to show their higher leadership in the CPP that they are not inutile. A similar incident with the NPA in Tapaz, Capiz occurred earlier this week where they claimed responsibility for an attack on a military detachment.
The prevailing situation in the islands portrays that the NPA is disorganized, weak, inutile, and incapable of launching large scale tactical offensive against our soldiers and policemen. This is evidenced by the number of former members of the Communist Movement abandoning ship and siding with the Government through the SIP.
This is also shown by the number of decisive engagements launched by your Army against the NPA wherein our soldiers overwhelmed them despite having the advantage of terrain. Their failure to recruit new members is also an indicator that their cause has lost its appeal to the youth and the peasants.
More and more people in our islands recognize the deception of the CPP-NPA even before it enters their community.
Deluded members of the NPA in Panay and Negros still cling to an ideal that has been proven in history to be flawed.
That is why they are celebrating "imagined" victories today against our Government. We continue to call on the more "enlightened" members of the Communist Move-ment to wake up to the reality that Communist "armed struggle" is not the right and just path to peace. /MP
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