ILOILO City – The Philippine Army and the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) are on full alert status. The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) is marking its 53rd anniversary on Dec. 26.
The CPP usually celebrates its founding by attacking police and military installations and other vital government facilities.
According to Major General Benedict Arevalo, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division (3ID), more troops have been deployed to strategic areas, including municipalities deemed vulnerable to the rebels.
“After 53 years of violence and destruction that brought misery to our people and country, they should be ashamed of themselves instead of celebrating,” said Arevalo.
He reminded his troops to be vigilant of rebel attacks while also being busy with disaster relief operations due to the recent super typhoon “Odette”.
“Our operations against the rebels should continue. It is our duty to keep communities safe from the threats of these extortionist rebels,” said Arevalo.
For his part, PRO-6 director Police Brigadier General Flynn Dongbo instructed police units across Western Visayas to intensify intelligence gathering and closely coordinate with the Philippine Army to foil rebel attacks.
Dongbo also appeal to communities to alert the authorities about rebel movements.
The CPP is a far-left revolutionary organization formed by Prof. Jose Maria Sison on Dec. 26, 1968. It is designated as a terrorist group by the United States Department of State together with Sison and the New People’s Army (NPA).
The European Union, on the other hand, renewed the terrorist designation of the CPP-NPA in 2019, though the European Union’s second highest court ruled in September 2009 to delist Sison as a “person supporting terrorism” and reversed a decision by member governments to freeze assets.
According to the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook, the CPP and its armed wing, the NPA, aims to destabilize the Philippine economy and overthrow the national government.
President Rodrigo Duterte also declared the group a terrorist organization in December 2017 through Proclamation No. 374, though the CPP-NPA has not yet been legally declared as a terrorist group by Philippine courts.
The CPP has been fighting a guerrilla war against the state since its establishment. Although its ranks initially numbered around 500, the party grew quickly, supposedly due to the declaration and imposition of martial law by former president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos during his 21-year rule.
By the end of Marcos’ rule, the number of combatants had expanded to include more than 10,000 fighters.
In 2019, Sison claimed that the number of its members and supporters is growing, despite claims by the Philippine government that the organization is close to being destroyed.
The organization remains an underground operation, with its primary goals being to overthrow the Philippine government through armed revolution and remove US influence over the Philippines./PN
