BUTUAN CITY – The newly installed commander of the 4th Infantry (Diamond) Division (ID) said their partnership with different line government agencies under the Task Force ELCAC for the last two years have cemented the path towards the inevitable downfall of the New People’s Army in Region 13 (Caraga) and Northern Mindanao (Region 10).
Major Gen. Jose Maria R. Cuerpo II vowed to finish the fight and usher a total victory in 2023.
Cuerpo said that since 2021, eight NPA guerrilla fronts (GFs), one sub-regional committee (SRC), and one independent platoon under the Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC) and North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC) conducting atrocities and violence in most parts of Caraga and Region 10 have been dismantled.
Cuerpo added people in the two regions have had enough of the NPA.
“The people are already fed up and tired with the deception and exploitation of the CTG,” he said.
“People are more interested and focused on the peace and developmental projects as well as the various services that the government has delivered and has been implementing into their communities that will surely provide livelihood opportunities and uplift their lives,” Cuerpo added.
He revealed that 362 government-initiated encounters have led to the neutralization of 885 NPA and the capture and surrender of 766 firearms. In addition, Cuerpo said, 234 NPA hideouts were overran and seized by government troops.