From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 1): No NPA offensive in Panay, Negros - Philippine Army
The 3rd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army in Tapaz, Capiz would leave nothing to chance as it floated the order among its military outposts in Panay Island and Negros Occidental to be on guard 24/7 even after the Communist Party of Philippines-New People's Army's (CCP-NPA) 45th founding day on March 29.
Maj. General Aurelio Baladbad, 3ID Commanding General, said the NPA failed to mount a major offensive versus the military because the rebels have become too weak and all they could do was to stage sporadic harassment against small Army detachments “and make it appear that they are still a force to reckon with”.
In a disparaging statement, Baladbad said that the current armed strength of the NPA is probablyat its lowest ebb, the rebels stretched thin due to shrinking manpower and diminishing sphere of influence in the countryside.
The odds seem to be stacked against the rebels as few recruits have turned up in NPA camps, and morale is low as more members come out of hiding to avail of government peace initiatives, said Baladbad.
If there are new faces in their ranks, they are reinforcements coming from other regions, he said.
Major Rey Tiongson, 3ID spokesman seconded his commander's assertions by releasing recordsshowing that from January to March this year, five NPA rebels in Negros Occidental and two inPanay have gone back to the fold of the law as law-abiding citizens.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=631194
The 3rd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army in Tapaz, Capiz would leave nothing to chance as it floated the order among its military outposts in Panay Island and Negros Occidental to be on guard 24/7 even after the Communist Party of Philippines-New People's Army's (CCP-NPA) 45th founding day on March 29.
Maj. General Aurelio Baladbad, 3ID Commanding General, said the NPA failed to mount a major offensive versus the military because the rebels have become too weak and all they could do was to stage sporadic harassment against small Army detachments “and make it appear that they are still a force to reckon with”.
In a disparaging statement, Baladbad said that the current armed strength of the NPA is probablyat its lowest ebb, the rebels stretched thin due to shrinking manpower and diminishing sphere of influence in the countryside.
The odds seem to be stacked against the rebels as few recruits have turned up in NPA camps, and morale is low as more members come out of hiding to avail of government peace initiatives, said Baladbad.
If there are new faces in their ranks, they are reinforcements coming from other regions, he said.
Major Rey Tiongson, 3ID spokesman seconded his commander's assertions by releasing recordsshowing that from January to March this year, five NPA rebels in Negros Occidental and two in
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=631194