CITY OF SAN FERNANDO— A top military commander in Central Luzon has projected “total eradication” of conflicts with the New People’s Army (NPA) by next year, amid reports of continuing victory against the NPA in Central Luzon.
The military has reported that this November alone three NPA members were killed in clashes, five were captured, and about 600 regular members and supporters have surrendered.
“Among the biggest (surrenderees) include the 133 supporters under Malayang Aniban ng mga Magsasaka sa Manggang Marikit, Bagong Barrio at Yuson in Nueva Ecija,” 703rd Infantry Brigade commander Col. Andrew Costelo said in a statement.
For his part, 7th Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Lenard Agustin said he saw “the total eradication of the local communist armed conflict by 2020,” even as he lauded the troops for a job well-done.
“We will be persistent with our focused military operations to ensure the safety of our people. The 7th Infantry Division, as your partners for peace and development, will remain dedicated in the performance of its duty and reinforce the realization of good governance, peace and sustainable development to significantly contribute to the total eradication of the local communist armed conflict by 2020,” he said.
The military attributed its successes against the NPA to “relentless focused military operations and continuous conduct of community support program by government instrumentalities in Central Luzon.’
Involved in such operations were the 91st Infantry Battalion, 69th Infantry Battalion, 48th Infantry Battalion, and 84th Infantry Battalion.
Costelo also reported that 19 firearms were seized from the NPA members during the operations. They included eight M16, one M14, one Carbine, three .45, two Magnum 22, one .22 sub-machine gun, one.38 and two homemade pistols, two improvised explosive devices, one hand grenade, and five detonating cords.”
Other materials such as ammunition, magazines, gadgets, bag packs, radios antennae, assorted medical supplies, rice containers, food stuffs, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA flags and subversive documents were also recovered from the sites of clashes between the military and the NPA.
“In just a short period of time, we were able to accomplish more than what we expected or targeted. I am truly overwhelmed with the conquest of our operating troops on the ground conducting focused military operations who are very eager to pursue our mandate to end local communist armed conflict and we will engage, empower all sectors of society to be free and resistant to communist terrorist operations and infiltrations,” Costelo also said.
