Army intensifies war vs NPA in Mindoro

The top commander of the military’s Southern Luzon Command has ordered Army soldiers to intensify anti-insurgency operations on Mindoro Island. Image from google maps

LUCENA CITY, Philippines—The top commander of the military’s Southern Luzon Command (Solcom) has ordered Army soldiers to intensify anti-insurgency operations on Mindoro Island.

“We are intensifying our campaign against the NPA (New People’s Army) because they are more into lawlessness already,” Maj. Gen. Ricardo Visaya, Solcom chief, said in a statement on Sunday.

On Saturday, the body of a suspected NPA victim was found on a vegetated area in Sitio (settlement) Cabasingan, Barangay (village) Udalo, in Abra de Ilog town, Occidental Mindoro province.

Maj. Angelo Guzman, Solcom public information officer, identified the fatality as a certain Hardives Fuentes, 43, a resident of Abra de Ilog.

The victim had two bullet wounds in his chest and another in his head, and his hands were handcuffed.

Guzman said they were still waiting for a full report from the Occidental Mindoro police to determine the motive for the killing. The initial investigation by the police revealed that the killers were suspected communist guerrillas.

According to a military report, only 66 NPA rebels remain on the island.

Last week, Visaya and key Solcom officials visited Mindoro and Marinduque islands and discussed with local officials the peace and order situation in these areas.

Visaya said members of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit would be deputized in the campaign against small-scale illegal miners in Marinduque.

Meanwhile, the Solcom claimed that the NPA rebels in Southern Tagalog and Bicol regions continued to lose strength and influence since the implementation of Oplan Bayanihan, the military counterinsurgency blueprint that aims to make insurgency insignificant before the end of President Aquino’s term in 2016.

It involves the participation of all stakeholders with greater emphasis on noncombat dimension to end communist rebellion.

Guzman noted that in 2011, Solcom data estimated the number of NPA combatants to be 773 with 771 firearms and had influence over at least 368 barangays in southern Luzon.

In the third quarter of 2014, the figures are down to 526 rebels with 607 firearms and have influence over 270 villages.

Guzman said the present number of rebels in Bicol region, 292, was bigger compared to the number of their armed comrades in Southern Tagalog, which is now down to 234.

However, Karapatan, a militant group of human rights advocates, said Oplan Bayanihan had resulted in massive human rights violations among civilians.