MANILA, Philippines—The New People’s Army (NPA) has lost its mass support and become “mere bandits,” an Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman claimed on Monday.
“Basically they are losing mass base, that’s why they are resorting to the use of force in order to extort money from big companies, particularly mining companies,” Colonel Arnulfo Burgos said in a press briefing.
The NPA in October attacked mining companies in Surigao del Norte, burning a number of heavy equipment.
“In order to survive they have to extort money, they have to intimidate companies, they have to sow fear. And these are all terroristic activities,” Burgos said.
“There’s no more ideology that they are fighting for, they are just mere bandits,” he added.
The NPA has less than 5,000 members left, concentrated in a few areas according to intelligence operatives, Burgos said in response to the rebels’ pronouncements that they were gaining strength.
This year alone, 341 NPA members have been neutralized, 245 of whom surrendered while the rest were killed in action. The AFP has “liberated 229 barangays (villages) from their influence,” Burgos added.
The NPA has also resorted to preying on soft targets and using Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in violation of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), Burgos said.
The CARHRIHL was signed by the government and the National Democratic Front on March 16, 1998, in The Hague, The Netherlands.
“Their numbers are dwindling [and] in terms of their capability, they are also weakened,” he added.
The AFP has maintained that it will continue with “peaceful means to resolve conflicts and issues. We will exhaust all avenues leading to a just and lasting peace.”
The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its insurgency has been running since it was established in 1969. Their numbers peaked at 25,000 in the 1980s.