September proves ‘bad’ for CPP-NPA

AS the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its front organizations and allies in the mainstream media again tried to draw the public’s attention on the ‘evils’ of Martial Law and the trumped-up “crimes” of Pres. Ferdinand Marcos every September in order to attract new adherents, their effort proved useless based on the number of losses the CPP sustained thus far this month thru surrender, deaths from clashes and arrests.

In the island provinces of Leyte and Samar, which are both under the jurisdiction of the 8^TH Infantry Division, 18 former members of the communist terrorist groups (CTGs) decided to surrender themselves to the 802^ND Brigade in Bgy. Quezon Jr., Ormoc City, last September 12, 2021, saying they don’t want to be forced by their former comrades to again take up arms against the government (see also Pinoy Exposé article of September 16, 2021).

The group was followed two days later, September 14, 2021, by 4 self-confessed “pasa-bilis” (couriers) of the CPP-New People’s Army (NPA) who surrendered to the 14^th Infantry Battalion in San Francisco (SF) Mabuhay, Sogod, Southern Leyte, thru the assistance of the local Barangay Task Force ELCAC (BTF-ELCAC) headed by chairman Reynaldo Aguillon, a relative of an NPA member, Josue Libres.

Libres, along with another terrorist, Ambrosio Gortiano Lamadora, were killed after a clash with the 14^th IB last August 18, 2021, in Bgy. Lawgawan, Bontoc and were simply abandoned by their comrades in their hasty bid to escape.

Aguillon, who witnessed how the Philippine Army and the local government exerted efforts to give his relative and Lamadora a decent burial, helped in convincing the 4 terrorists to surrender.

Lt. Col. Ernesto de la Rosa, 14^th IB commander, identified the four surenderees by their aliases as Correano, Mak, Roger and Bebot, pending their debriefing and formal inclusion to the government’s ‘Balik-Loob’ program.

Last September 2, 2021, the division also reported the surrender of 282 active members and mass supporters of the CPP-NPA in Silvino Lubos, Northern Samar, and their pledge of allegiance to the government. The formal surrender ceremony, however, took place last August 27, 2021.

Lt. Col. Ferdinand Engcot, commander of the 19^th IB, said the mass surrender is “a big blow” to terrorist movement in the province “since majority of the surrenderers have been their source of strength, logistics, supplies, and information.”

Those who formally withdrew support include 65 members of the NPA Yunit Militia, 65 members of Batakang Organisasyon ng Pampartido, and 152 Legal na Organisadong Masa, Engcot added further.

The group were residents of 11 remote villages in the province that is now the subject of the Army’s ‘Community Support Program’ (CSP).

The CSP is a preliminary step in bringing these villages under the ‘Barangay Development Program’ (BDP) of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

Silvino Lubos is a 4th class municipality some 30 kilometers away from Catarman, the provincial capital of Northern Samar.

It can be recalled that it was also in Samar that the CPP-NPA suffered its worst battlefield defeat thus far, during an Army offensive last August 16, 2021, in Dolores, Eastern Samar. The operation, involving coordinated attacks by the Philippine Army’s ground forces and air assets resulted to the death of 20 terrorists (see also Pinoy Expose Volume 2 Issue No. 32/33).

In Northern Luzon, Maj. Gen. Laurence Mina, 5^th Infantry Division commander, in a report to Northern Luzon (Nolcom) area commander, Lt. General Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr., said that an entire NPA unit, consisting 7 members, also decided to quit the terrorist movement, bringing with them their firearms consisting of 5 M16 rifles, 1 M653 rifle and 1 M14 rifle and other war materiel. The surrender took place last September 15, 2021, in Baggao, Cagayan Valley.

Maj. Israel Galorio, NolCom public information office (PIO) chief, said the terrorists narrated they are already tired and weary from fighting government forces.

Since the start of the year, Nolcom already saw the surrender of 633 terrorists operating in North and Central Luzon and the recovery of 259 firearms.

“The number is apart from the 780 party members of the different NPA-affiliated mass organizations who withdrew their support from the terrorist group,” Galorio added.

Burgos noted that with a rate of 3 terrorists surrendering to the government along with their firearms every day, the NPA’s complete decimation in Northern Luzon “is within reach.”

In the operational area of the 4^TH Infantry Division covering Caraga and some areas of Northern Mindanao, 4^TH Infantry Division commander, M/Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., said another NPA unit, headed by its platoon leader and front secretary for Guerilla Front 4A(GF4A), North Central Mindanao Regional Party Committee (NCMRPC), also decided to call it ‘quits’ and surrendered to the 23^rd IB under Lt. Colonel Julius Paulo Jr., last September 15, 2021 in Bgy. Alubijid, Buenavista, Agusan del Norte.

The division statement identified those who surrendered as Khim Agad Mapoy, aka, ‘Patrick,’ 27, GF4A secretary, who also turned in his .45 caliber pistol; his elder brother, Loreto Agad Mapoy, aka, ‘Arvin,’ 34, platoon leader of Platoon Joker, GF4A, who also turned his 9mm pistol;

Mary Chris S Callanta alias ‘Noem,’ single, 24, Political Guide (cadre), Squad Uno, Platoon Joker; Arlene O Egom alias ‘Joan,’ single, 30, Medic, Squad Dos, Platoon Joker;

Rolando A Morata alias Pang, married, 52 yrs old, Political Instructor, GF4A, who also turned in 2 M16 rifles; Revoden C Morata alias ‘Denden/Sidlak,’ married, 29, former member, Sandatahang Yunit Pampropaganda (SYP) Kingdom, GF4A, who came with his CZ550 Sniper Rifle; Rexdale C Morata alias ‘Rex,’ single, 24, former member of SYP Kingdom, with 1 M16A1 Rifle and 1 magazine;

Junrey Tinun-ogan alias ‘Mikmik/Jovan,’ single, 22, member, Squad Uno, Platoon Diego; and, Rowell P Cardoniga alias ‘Dennis,’ single, 32, former member of SYP Kingdom. Cardoniga also turned in two .45 pistols with 2 magazines and 6 live ammunitions.

Brawner said the group decided to quit the terrorist movement after suffering tremendously from the ‘focus military operation’ the division launched in the province last September 4 and September 6, 2021.

In Quezon, Bukidnon, a member of the CPP Central Committee, Adelaida “Loida” Magpatok alias Gwen/Emyang/Kudaw/Robby, also fell into the hands of the government on September 15, 2021.

“Loida is one of the CTG leaders present during the encounter of 88^th IB at Brgy Laligan, Valencia City, Bukidnon last September 10, 2021 and has been on the run for several days to avoid being captured,” Brawner explained.

In that encounter, the soldiers were surprised to discover that among the combatants they encountered are children who are also suffering from COVID-19 (see also Pinoy Exposé article, September 16, 2021).

“Justice will now be served as Loida is a fugitive with standing warrant of arrest for robbery, double homicide and damage to property issued by Executive Judge Zenaida P Placer of Branch 7 of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur, with no bail recommended,” Brawner continued. He added that after testing, Magpatok turned out also to be COVID-19 positive.

In the provinces of Aurora and Biliran, more than 100 hundred former members and supporters of the CPP-NPA and its front organizations also decided to surrender and even denounced their former comrades in the terrorist movement.

In Aurora, Aurora, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) headed by regional director Luisa de Guzman, led in the welcoming of 36 former NPA terrorists and supporters during a simple ceremony last September 17, 2021.

As a manifestation of support to the government, the group also burned the flag of the CPP.

In Biliran last September 15, 2021, over 100 members of ‘People’s Surge Alliance’ (PSA), a front organization of the CPP, disaffiliated to form another organization, the Biliran Integrated Peace and Development Workers Federation (BIPDWF).

The attendees came from 7 municipalities of Biliran, which were formerly under CPP influence thru the PSA.

The 4^th ID report of the event held at the Biliran Province State University (BiPSU) disclosed the extent of the organizational effort expended by the CPP in Biliran as PSA previously has as much as 8,000 members in the province.

In total, 366 CPP-NPA officials, members and supporters have been neutralized by the government in the first 3 weeks of this month as of this article’s writing.