Col. Louie Dema-ala, spokesperson of the Philippine Army, talks to members of the media during the Armed Forces of the Philippines Press Briefing at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, on Tuesday, August 20, 2024. – The Communist Party of the Philippines’ (CPP) commemoration of its 56th anniversary on Thursday was “generally peaceful on the ground,” the Philippine Army declared Thursday, December 26, 2024. —Arnel Tacson/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — The Communist Party of the Philippines’ (CPP) commemoration of its 56th anniversary on Thursday was “generally peaceful on the ground,” the Philippine Army declared Thursday.
Army spokesperson Colonel Louie Dema-ala, however, reiterated that their troops would remain on alert.
“We have not recorded any incidents,” Dema-ala told INQUIRER.net, adding: “But all our troops remain on the alert and the internal security operations are continuous to ensure peaceful communities.”
The CPP leadership earlier ordered its armed wing, New People’s Army (NPA), to “take the initiative to mount tactical offensives, selecting targets that it can defeat” to mark its 56th anniversary on Thursday, December 26.
The CPP vowed to recoup its membership as it admitted experiencing “grave losses.”
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“We are determined to frustrate the enemy’s all-out war, recover from our losses, gain new victories and advance the Filipino people’s revolutionary resistance,” the CPP’s central committee said in a statement on Thursday.
But for Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Romeo Brawner Jr., the CPP-NPA is now “irrelevant to the nation’s future.”
“Through decisive operations and a whole-of-nation approach, their capabilities have been significantly crippled, with only one weakened guerrilla front set for dismantling,” Brawner said in a statement.
Latest available AFP data states that NPA fighters decreased to about 1,500 as of December 2023, far from its peak of around 25,000 in 1987.
“Today, the CPP-NPA faces a leadership vacuum, shrinking membership, and diminished operational capabilities,” Brawner said. “Despite this, the AFP remains vigilant against any attempts to disrupt the lives of law-abiding citizens.”
Jose Maria Sison established the CPP on December 26, 1968, while the NPA was formed on March 29, 1969. The CPP-NPA has been waging the longest-running Maoist insurgency in the world.
In December 2022, Sison died at 83 years old while in self-exile in The Netherlands.
The CPP’s political wing National Democratic Front of the Philippines is currently conducting talks with government representatives in a bid to resume the peace talks.