FORMER political and military cadres of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) assigned in the party’s remaining, but biggest area of operation, Southern Mindanao (Southern Mindanao Regional Party Committee, SMRC), called on their holdout comrades to surrender, stressing there is no way the communist terrorist group (CTG) can topple the Philippine government, both militarily and politically.
At a press conference organized by the Eastern Mindanao Command’s 10th Infantry ‘Agila’ Division, last September 7, 2021 in Davao de Oro (formerly Compostela Valley), EMC commanding general, Lt. General Greg Almerol and division commander, M/Gen. Ernesto ‘Jun’ Torres, also presented 12 former ranking ‘politico-military cadres’ of the CPP and the New People’s Army (NPA), who have already surrendered to the government after realizing the futility of the ‘armed struggle’ being espoused by the CPP to topple the government and install a communist system of government.
The group had earlier held a ‘plenum’ of their own to share their experiences inside the Agila division headquarters in Mawab last August 23, 2021. They also discussed how they can help the government to formulate plans on how to hasten the end of CTG violence in the country (see also Pinoy Exposé article, August 23, 2021).
Roberto Rosete Jr., aka, ‘Ka Bobby’ who spent 32 years with the CPP-NPA, eventually rising to the post of commander, ‘Pulang Bagani Command’ (PBC) 3, said he joined the terrorist group in 1990 but by 2010, had already entertained doubts on the claim of their leaders that they can topple the government by armed struggle.
“In 2010, I already doubted the direction we are taking because nothing has really happened in waging war with the government. They said we will win against the government. It is not true at all because we really can’t,” said Rosete who finally surrendered in 2018.
Noel Legaspi, aka, ‘Ka Efren,’ who spent 26 years inside the CPP-NPA and rose to become spokesman of the ‘Far South Mindanao Regional Committee,’ a branch of the SMRC, also expressed the same observation, adding the CTG cannot win because it has “no support from the people.”
In an earlier talked with Pinoy Exposé (Pinoy Exposé Volume I, Issue No. 28), Legaspi, who was first recruited to the ‘League of Filipino Students’ (LFS) a front organization of the CPP as a student in 1992, said that by 2015, he started to realize that their armed struggle cannot succeed because of lack of mass support.
“Sa bansang Pilipinas, ‘yung rebolusyon na pinamumunuan ng CPP hindi sinusuportahan ng sambayanang Pilipino kaya hindi ito mananalo,” he said.
Legaspi surrendered last January 15, 2020 to the EMC.
Before finally surrendering, Legaspi was also forced into hiding when he decided to “lie low” in 2018. He was reliably informed that his former comrades decided to murder him over his decision to abandon armed struggle.
The latest to surrender, Arrianne Jane Ramos, aka, ‘Marikit,’ 28, secretary of ‘Guerilla Front’ (GF) 55, said that prior to her decision to give up last August 1, 2021, she and her group became the target of ‘focus military operation’ (FMO) by the 1003rd Brigade, Agila Division, for some 3 months, where they clashed with the military for at least 9 times.
Among the casualties in the NPA side was her husband, Rommel Tausan, their commanding officer.
“I saw my husband dead, blood all over his face. I saw my comrades… wounded comrades, calling my name again and again, begging for help.
“For 40 days, we suffered from hunger, [we have] no proper hygiene. We literally don’t know where to go. For three months, [there were] nine consecutive encounters,” Ramos said.
Aside from feeling “alone” and abandoned by their leaders, Ramos said she started to fear for her health and sanity while also longing to be back with her family.
“It’s very painstaking to wage a war if you are just alone. The collective leadership sa loob ng Party ay dahan-dahang dumadausdos (weakening) so I finally chose to focus on myself.
“Sabi nga nila, tao lang tayo at napapagod din,” Ramos explained.
Almerol, for his part, stated the belief the government can “finish” and “neutralize” the remnants of the SMRC before Pres. Duterte steps down in June 2021.
“We are confident that the local government and government agencies will sustainably address the issues being exploited by the CTGs.
“I believe that the only way we can end the local communist armed conflict is through our collective efforts and performing our mandates religiously,” Almerol said.
For his part, Torres, also a former AFP spokesman, said that from 17 guerilla fronts in 2016 in the division’s area of responsibility, the number is now down to just 6;
Affected barangays, down to 12 from 193 in the same year; and firearms, down to 300 from 1,150 in 2016.
The NPA’s strength, estimated at 900 in 2016, is now down to 270.
Both military officials expressed confidence that, indeed, the SMRC is now on the “brink of collapse.”
The event last September 7, 2021, coincided with the 15th anniversary of the Agila Division.
It should be noted that during the middle of the Noynoy Aquino administration, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) designated Mindanao, particularly the Davao region (which is under the SMRC), as the next ‘national priority area,’ (NPA), after effectively dealing with the ‘Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee’ (STRPC), then the CPP’s “strongest” lair in the country.
With the STRPC already in a moribund state, the SMRC emerged as the CPP’s “last bailiwick” in the country and where the last fight against CTG terrorism would be won or lost by the government.