MANILA, Philippines -- The military's propaganda and humanitarian efforts have resulted in the weakened mass support for communist insurgents throughout the country, officials said Monday.

Proof of which is the leftwing groups’ failure to muster large crowds in anti-government protests, said Colonel Buenaventura Pascual, chief of the Army Civil Military Operations (CMO) battalion.

Militant labor unions have also contributed less to communist campaigns in urban centers, he said.

Some 500 troops from the Army CMO battalion have been deployed to urban poor communities in Manila, Quezon City, Taguig City, and Marikina City for lectures and civic projects.

Outside Metro Manila, Special Operations Teams (SOT) have gained the trust of locals, who have tipped off troops on positions New People’s Army guerillas and convinced some rebels to surrender, said Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres Jr., spokesman for the Philippine Army.

Like the CMO battalion in the capital, SOT troops teach locals about the "evils" of communism. The soldiers, who don't engage in combat, also help in community-building projects, Torres said.

The military had 307 SOT operations in rebel-influenced villages this year, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) year-end report.

"The efforts of our SOT are paying off. They have gained the sympathy of the people who lead them to rebels who want to surrender," Torres said in a phone interview.

"We've made a big impact. We've cut off the flow of logistics to the NPA in the provinces. The people have become more aware of the evils of communism," Pascual said in a separate phone interview.

According to the AFP year-end report for 2007, the NPA had an estimated 6,000 fighters, down from over 7,000 in 2006. Troops dismantled 13 NPA guerilla fronts, leaving the rebels with 87 fronts.

"The enemy's influence in the affected barangays as well as in the political arena suffered a marked reduction for this year as compared to last year," the AFP report said.

"Overall, AFP efforts have continuously effected the weakening of the enemy's politico-military capability, nationwide," it said.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo gave security forces a 2010 deadline to crush the NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). The same deadline applies to the campaign against the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf.