AFP confident of Reds’ ‘annihilation’ in 2010
A communist-terrorist-free region in 2010?
For the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) here, the dwindling numbers of communist-terrorists throughout Western Visayas will make it happen. And set to happen, indeed, said Captain Lowen Gil Marquez following successful government operations against the group.
Such, alongside surrenders and surrender feelers particularly by young recruits forced into the underground movement of the New People’s Army (NPA). The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) – National Democratic Front (NDF).
As per latest AFP report, splinter NPA groups are losing strength and stronghold in former areas and communities of influence.
Marquez in an interview over Bombo Radyo Iloilo said the NPA “forces” have significantly decreased over the past months.
To date, he said, the AFP is looking at 200 NPAs maximum in the Province of Negros Occidental and “at most” 120 all over Panay Island.
Captain Marquez is the commanding officer of the AFP’s 3rd Civil Relations Group.
“The military is confident. The AFP is secured on this fact and we are looking at 2010 as the target period for us to rid our peace-loving communities of these menace to society. These communist terrorists are out to sow terror and harassments and their victims are the defenseless civilians in far-flung barangays. These are also their favorite targets for extortion but the community is empowered now. That is one of the reasons why we are winning the war against these criminal NPAs,” Marquez said.
To note, the AFP welcomed a few weeks back the recent surrender of 23 NPAs who were once tasked in Panay Island. The government had in place livelihood assistance helping the surrenderees resume normalcy as they go back into the folds of the law.
“These young men realized and discovered that there is so much corruption and misplaced principle in the movement thus the surrender,” Marquez ended.