Only one weakened guerilla front is left of the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), according to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Friday.
“The last time I checked recently, of the four remaining weakened guerilla fronts, three are about to be declared for dismantling already. It is already at the national level for validation,” NTF-ELCAC Secretariat executive director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. said in a press conference.
“So leaving it only one guerilla front,” he added.
According to Torres, there were 89 active guerilla fronts when the NTF-ELCAC was established in December 2018. Now, he said there are no more active guerilla fronts.
With this, Torres said the NTF-ELCAC came up with a new national action plan for unity, peace, and development.
“There will be a recalibration of the way we conduct things and implement our programs, activities, and projects,” he said.
“During the past five years, it was heavier on security matters. We would be shifting now our focus more on peace building and socio-economic development,” he added.
In October, the National Security Council (NSC) reported that alleged acting chairperson of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Wigberto “Baylon” Villarico, was arrested in Quezon City.
The CPP demanded the immediate release of Villarico, who was identified as a peace consultant of the National Democratic Front or the Philippines (NDFP), the political wing of the communist organization.
According to National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, Villarico assumed the CPP leadership after the death of Benito Tiamzon on August 22, 2022.
“Villarico was the last Communist leader at large capable of commanding both the party and its armed wing, the New People’s Army. Villarico’s capture closes the chapter on a terrorist fugitive responsible for numerous atrocities against the people,” Año said. — Joviland Rita/BAP, GMA Integrated News
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