Documents found show NPA in distress
By Greg Tataro, Jr.
TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur, April 9 (PIA) - Faced
with pressing concerns on various fronts exacerbated by the series of
surrenders, the New People’s Army (NPA) in Caraga region had been observed to
be in deep trouble.
Col. Andres Centino, brigade commander of the 401st
Infantry (Unity) Brigade of the Philippine Army (PA) based in Prosperidad,
Agusan del Sur, said to have “recovered documents” outlining one of the rebels’
utmost concerns. This was tagged along
with the issue on how the NPA could address their comrades who had already
turned themselves in to authorities.
With this, the army official disclosed that rebels
here had been looking for a way on how to “plug the hole in order to stop the
bleeding out.”
All of these triumphs in Caraga region were
attributed to the intensified security operations together with the Community
Support Program (CSP) conducted hand in hand with the 402nd Infantry (Stingers)
Brigade under BGen. Franco Nemesio Gacal.
Meanwhile, Col. Centino, whose area of operation
covers the southern part of Surigao del Sur on top of Agusan del Sur, noted
that there were no such thing as “NPA recruitment” in his area of
responsibility (AOR). Instead, personnel
of Community Support Teams (CSTs) deployed in the hinterland villages, particularly
insurgency-affected areas, had noticed “swelling on possible surrenders” based
on reports gathered.
The brigade commander said that there was already a
great deal of dismay being felt among the ranks of rebel fighters owing to a number of factors
including lack of sustainment of logistical support from ammunitions and even
food supplies apart from mounting number of casualties during clashes with the
military.
With the current situation that more seemed to be
trying to find a way out or “lie low,” Centino bared that the armed wing had
been avoiding encounters recently. (NGBT/GTataro/Radyo
Pilipinas-Tandag/PIA-Surigao del Sur)
