MANILA: The strength of communist rebels has not changed significantly in the first half of the year, remaining at more than 4,000 due to the group’s recruitment efforts.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Emmanuel Bautista said the strength of the New People’s Army (NPA) stood at “a little more than 4,000” as of end-June.
Sources said the exact figure was 4,070 as of the end of first half.
A check at previous military reports revealed that the strength of the insurgency has been pegged at about 4,000 in the last three years.
AFP spokesman Brigadier General Domingo Tutaan Jr said the NPA had intensified their recruitment activities in Eastern Mindanao, which was devastated by typhoon “Pablo” last year.
“They recruited people who were affected by the typhoon and they exploited their miseries,” Tutaan said in an interview.
Tutaan said the NPA recruiters had made it appear that the government was not addressing the concerns of typhoon victims.
Bautista, for his part, scored the rebels for allegedly capitalizing on the problems of typhoon victims to pursue their agenda.
“It is abhorrent that they even exploited the misery of our people in the typhoon-affected areas just to advance their selfish agenda,” the military chief said.
“AFP effort, on the other hand, has been affected by our preoccupation in the recent election and the rehabilitation efforts in ‘Pablo’ affected areas,” he added.
Bautista claimed that certain indicators like economic progress are more important than the so-called “body count” or the reduction in the number of rebels.
“We’ve been veering away from body count syndrome. The intent of (security plan) Bayanihan is winning the peace rather than defeating the enemy,” he said.
AFP data showed that total of 323 insurgents have surrendered or have been arrested or killed as of the end of June.
Bayanihan, the military’s security plan, emphasises the need to promote development and involve all stakeholders in curbing insurgency. The campaign plan started in 2011 and will end on 2016.
The Philippine star
