NPA present in more than 200 barangays, says AFP
MANILA, Philippines — The communist New People’s Army (NPA) is still present in more than 200 out of 42,046 barangays (villages) in the country, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said in a press conference in Camp Aguinaldo on Tuesday.
“More than 200,” Aguilar responded when asked about the number of villages where the NPA maintains its presence.
However, Aguilar pointed out that “it should not be a cause of alarm for everybody because we started from 400 down to 200.”
“This is part of our internal security operations,” he added.
The AFP also said that the NPA only has one remaining active guerrilla front nationwide. An NPA guerrilla front should have at least three platoons with around 100 armed combatants.
To date, the NPA is now down to around 1,800 fighters, according to Aguilar.
Established on March 29, 1969, the NPA had 25,000 members at its height around 1987, according to Philippine military estimates.
