MANILA, Philippines, January 18 ------ The head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is looking to dismantle all New People’s Army (NPA) communist guerrilla fronts by yearend. AFP chief of staff Gen. Gilbert Gapay ordered all military commanders to dismantle 54 remaining guerrilla fronts by the end of 2021, as he said 22 fronts were already destroyed.
“All remaining communist guerrilla fronts shall be simultaneously addressed and defeated toward the end of 2021. I noticed a lot of these NPA units have been weakened so this is our target for all the Unified Commands,” Gapay said in a statement over the weekend. Commanders of different areas were ordered to set priority targets per quarter to expedite the clearing of identified focus areas in their jurisdiction. They were also tasked to develop innovative deployment of joint operations and enhance intelligence gathering. With this directive, Gapay also enjoined all military units to enhance coordination with the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in probing alleged attacks by the communist rebels.
“Let us endeavor to raise all violations of human rights and international humanitarian law to legitimate organizations that are mandated to protect and promote the well-being of non-combatants,” Gapay said. Earlier, the AFP submitted a report to the CHR asking for its assistance to investigate 532 incidents regarding attacks on civilians and their properties by the NPA since 2010, as well as the NPA’s use of 544 child warriors. The reports were also submitted to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights and the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the Philippines. “Let us empower civilian agencies and work together with them in ensuring that pertinent laws are respected and the full weight of the law pressed upon the violators,” Gapay added.
Source: philstar.com