CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA)--“Our assessment in the Armed Forces of the Philippines is that they [Communist Terrorist Group – New People’s Army (CTG-NPA)] are on a decline, losing.”

4th Infantry Division, Philippine Army Commander Major General Romeo S. Brawner, Jr. said as the armed struggle between the CTG-NPA and the government had persisted for many years, the creation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) through Executive Order No. 70 signed by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte had been a game changer during the ‘Talakayan sa PIA: ELCAC series.’

The army no longer has to be the educators or sole doctors in the countryside but now with appropriate government agencies. 

“We are very fortunate that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte came up with this [EO 70] so that all the government agencies, non-government agencies, also including the private sector would come together and help one another so that we can end this problem of insurgency,” Brawner said.

The NTF-ELCAC helped the army to focus more on their mandate of war fighting to protect the country against any threat that may harm its people.

“In the recent months, here in the area of Region 10, we have had a lot of gains. We have neutralized personalities of the New People’s Army including six high value targets or their commanders,” he added.

With the  recent neutralization of Jorge “Ka Oris” Madlos, the commander of the national organization command of the NPA in Bukidnon, Brawner said, the group no longer has direction and there is internal bickering amongst themselves. Aside from this, many had been demoralized and surrendered to the government, he confirmed. 

The fight to attain peace and neutralizing the CTG-NPA has now reached the crossover point wherein the rate of the neutralization of the members of the new people’s army is higher than their rate of recruitment of new members.

The army chief also highlighted the importance of stopping financial support from companies and even politicians citing that no matter the efforts of the government, if the NPAs will be supported financially, they will keep going. 

There are groups who are supporting them financially by giving in to the extortion activities being done by the NPA, he affirmed. 

“We have a plea to the mining company, logging company, contractors, local government units, politicians and individuals to stop supporting the CPP-NPA-NDF,” he said.

Brawner encouraged the remaining members of the CPP-NPA-NDF to surrender and go back to the fold of the law. 

He assured them of support from the government through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP) wherein they will receive monetary assistance: P15,000 as firearms remuneration when they surrender their firearms, reintegration assistance worth P21,000, livelihood assistance worth P50,000, livelihood materials worth P100,000, housing worth P450,000, access to government services, medical assistance, legal assistance, modified cash transfer, loans, psychosocial assistance, college tuition and stipend, among others. (JAKA/PIA-10)