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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider New military chief of staff hopes to finish off NPA before 2021 ends

New military chief of staff hopes to finish off NPA before 2021 ends

Published Aug 5, 2021 09:11 pm

Lt. Gen. Jose Faustino, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), is hoping to finish off the communist insurgency problems in the country before the end of this year.

Faustino said that he relayed this goal to all military commanders during a command conference on Wednesday, or a few days after he assumed the top military post.

“During the conference, it was my instruction to finish this remaining guerrilla fronts, or these remaining NPA (New People’s Army) within the year,” said Faustino.

Faustino’s optimism was apparently buoyed by military data showing that there were only around 3,200 communist rebels operating in the country.

Most of the communist rebels and their supporters already surrendered to the government, according to Faustino, attributing it to the aggressive anti-communist insurgency campaign that includes monetary and livelihood reward for communist rebels who would surrender.

“When we graduated in 1988 (from the Philippine Military Academy), its (NPA) was around 25,000 armed regulars. But it is only numbering now at 3,000 to 3,200 and they only have a few remaining guerrilla fronts,” said Faustino.

“When it comes to the communist terrorist groups we have gained a lot,” he added.

The NPA presence, however, is still felt in the past weeks following the series of attacks in Masbate, Surigao del Norte and Eastern Visayas region.

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