By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – Brigadier General Orlando Edralin, commander of the Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade (IBde), announced on Monday that the New People’s Army (NPA) combatants in Negros Occidental have dwindled to 33, a significant drop from the 258 reported in 2019.
This current figure encompasses the Regional Strike Force members supporting the dismantled guerrilla fronts in the province. Edralin highlighted that the remaining guerrilla units are now considerably small, each with less than a squad in size.
The 3rd Infantry Division (ID) has confirmed the dismantling of Central Negros 1 (CN1) in October 2023, followed by Central Negros 2 (CN2) on November 13, 2023. Prior to these, both the South East Front (SEF) and Northern Negros Front (NNF) were dismantled on April 6, 2021.
Under the brigade’s supervision are the 79th, 62nd, and 94th Infantry Battalions (IBs).
Edralin, referencing the joint evaluations by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), reported that the three dismantled NPA guerrilla fronts, along with the Regional Strike Force, retain 49 firearms.
In a recent development last month, soldiers from the 79th IB retrieved 16 high-powered firearms after a series of clashes in Barangay Pinapugasan, Escalante City. These encounters resulted in the deaths of three NPA rebels, with three soldiers and a militiaman injured.
Edralin acknowledged the challenges faced in locating the diminishing number of rebel remnants.
However, he emphasized the Army’s efforts to engage with the rebels’ relatives and friends and coordinate with various government agencies, including local executives, to encourage surrenders through local peace initiatives.
“We do not wish for more rebels to die. We always prefer to resolve and end the local communist armed conflict peacefully,” Edralin said.
The brigade recently reported that 37 NPA rebels were killed in armed conflicts on Negros Island.
Additionally, 87 rebels surrendered from the beginning of 2023 until February 21, with 148 high-powered firearms seized across 54 encounters.
Looking forward, Edralin is hopeful that Negros Island will be declared under the State of Internal Peace and Security (SIPS) by the third quarter of this year.
He noted the prerequisite of dismantling all NPA guerrilla fronts, including the Regional Strike Force, to proceed with the SIPS declaration.
“Based on the evaluation, considering all parameters, we can achieve it. However, we have to be conservative in our approach,” he added.
Earlier, the 3ID expressed their goal of declaring Negros Island in a state of SIPS within the first quarter of the year, citing the dismantling of all guerrilla fronts (GFs) of Komiteng Rehiyon -Negros Cebu Bohol Siquijor (KR-NCBS) and a year without significant violent incidents by the NPA.
