NPA areas in Caraga, Normin getting small, says Gacal

By JIGGER J. JERUSALEM
Correspondents

THE New People’s Army’s areas of operation in the Caraga and Northern Mindanao are getting smaller as thousands of communist rebels have either surrendered or were killed during offensives in the past few months, a military official said.

Maj. Gen. Franco Nemesio Gacal, commander of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, said close to 5,000 NPA fighters and supporters went back to the fold of the law while several others were killed in armed encounters between state forces and rebels from January to November this year.

“By that number, they (NPA) lost a huge area as their territory is becoming smaller as the surrenderers have also increased,” he said during the demilitarization of turned-in firearms and awarding of P2.8-million Enhanced Local Integration Program (Eclip) assistance to former rebels held at the 4th ID headquarters in Barangay Patag on Thursday afternoon.

Gacal said the condemnation of NPA by tribal leaders has also contributed to the waning support of the people in the community to the insurgents.

“It has a huge impact since many of the indigenous peoples (IP) are NPA members. So if our IP leaders are condemning them, it only goes to show that tribal communities are dissociating themselves from the NPA,” Gacal said.

During the decommissioning of the turned-in firearms, weapons of various sizes and types were cut so these could no longer be used again.

“We want to prevent the proliferation of loose firearms, so these won’t be recycled or won’t be going back to the hands of the NPA and other armed groups. We don’t want these firearms to be used for illegal means,” he said.

Among the 94 firearms that were destroyed were M14 rifles, grenade launchers, shotguns, .45 caliber pistols, .38 caliber revolver pistols, and a handful of homemade handguns.

Gacal said that the destruction of the firearms is part of the commitment of the former rebels that “starting today they will walk the path of peace.”