BACOLOD CITY – The Army 3rd Infantry Division (ID) has recorded 47 killings perpetrated by the New People’s Army (NPA) in Negros Island from January 2022 to present.
Three fatalities were former NPA rebels, four government officials, five soldiers, a policeman, and 34 civilians.
Fifty-one violent incidents were perpetrated by the NPA during the period and 25 of these were admitted by the NPA and published in their websites, according to the Army.
These figures were presented during a press briefing on NPA atrocities in Negros held at the Social Hall of the provincial capitol here on Tuesday, October 10.
Brig. Gen. Orlando Edralin, commander of the 303rd Infantry Brigade (IBde), said the increase in the number of NPA killings forms part of the group’s propaganda to show that they still exist despite the debacles and casualties they have suffered.
Police and Army assets
Edralin said that most of their victims were suspected as assets of the Army or the police.
Aside from this, Edralin said that the engagement of the Army against the NPA also increased. This also shows how frustrated they are in their current status in Negros because people have rejected them and became peace-loving, he added.
The Army said that the NPA has also burned heavy equipment in the towns of Candoni and Toboso.
These atrocities caused their owners to lose millions of pesos in investments and delays in infrastructure projects that could have helped alleviate the lives of people especially in far-flung areas, the Army said.
The Army said that these cases should have been investigated to serve justice.
Guerilla fronts
Meanwhile, the Army said that the NPA that operates in Negros Island is under the Komiteng Rehiyon-Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor or KR-NCBS.
The six guerilla fronts under the KR-NCBS that operate in Negros Island were the Northern Negros Front (dismantled); Central Negros Front 1 (dismantled); Central Negros Front 2 (weakened); South East Front (dismantled); and South West Front (weakened).
As of the third quarter this year, the NPA in Negros has an estimated 53 guerrillas and 197 firearms, according to the Army.
Major Gen. Marion Sison, 3rd ID commander, said the dismantled guerilla fronts are those with less than 10 members, who are just remnants of the group. They are considered irrelevant and insignificant, he added.
Weakened guerilla fronts, on the other hand, are those with no influenced barangays, Sison said. This means that the conduct of Community Support Programs (CSPs) in barangays have already been completed, he added.
Sison said that once an area has been cleared by the Army, the military will not leave it and will continue to conduct security and patrol operations to totally clear it of NPA remnants.
Edralin said that “it is our duty to shed light on these crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice. We cannot and will not tolerate the reign of terror that they bring upon the people of Negros Island.”
Many were already enlightened and surrendered as a result, he said.
Edralin assured the people of Negros that the Army and the police will not falter in their commitment to secure the lives and bring an end to the terror that has plagued the communities.
He said that they will intensify their operations, enhance intelligence gathering, and collaborate with local government units and other stakeholders to dismantle these NPA groups and restore peace and stability to Negros Island.
Gaining momentum
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, chairman of the Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF-ELCAC), said the peace process in the province has been steadily gaining momentum due to programs that promote a more sustainable path to peace by prioritizing the delivery of basic services, providing social development assistance, and encouraging participatory initiatives.
“We did not choose this fight. However, we need to do what is necessary to promote and maintain our peace and order, and to safeguard our national security and interests,” he added.
He called on all stakeholders to bring an end to violence and conflict and cultivate an environment where dialogue and understanding can overcome hostility.
“Let us reaffirm our commitment to the values of peace, justice and compassion that define humanity,” the governor said.
Also present in the press briefing were Kabankalan City Mayor Benjie Miranda, Calatrava Mayor Marilyn Era, Police Col. Leo Pamittan, Negros Occidental police director; Brig. Gen. Joey Escanillas, commander of the 302nd Infantry Brigade; Teodora Sumagaysay, director of the Department of the Interior and Local Government-Negros Occidental; Lemwel Casas, deputy director of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency-Western Visayas; and Vincent Parra, officer-in-charge of the Commission on Human Rights-Negros Occidental.