From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 6): Army says anti-insurgency drive moving, rebuffs NPA claims
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=551894
Anti-insurgency drive in Eastern Visayas has gained headway during the first seven months of the year, the Philippine Army said, rebuffing the New People’s Army (NPA) claims.
Capt. Amado Gutierrez, spokesperson of the 8th Infantry Division, rejected the NPA statement that the government Internal Peace and Security Plan was a failure, as several soldiers were killed and wounded during the first seven months of the year.
Gutierrez said that it’s the communist rebels who are weakening as 15 of their members were arrested from January to July 2013, including high ranking officials. At least 77 NPA camps were discovered by soldiers.
Government troops have recovered 40 firearms during encounters and camp seizures. Seven insurgents have been neutralized during encounters while 101 rebels went back to the fold of law during the first seven months.
The 8th ID has no figures on number of NPA members killed and hurt in clashes but he said they are sure that insurgents have suffered casualties during encounters because of traces of blood after firefights.
In a statement posted in its website, the NPA’s Rodante Urtal Command based in Northern Samar claimed that 17 soldiers were killed and 11 other were hurt in several clashes from January to June 2013.
“These figures are misleading. I don’t know how they came up with those numbers,” Gutierrez said.
The official stressed that the military is on track of minimizing the NPA threat in Eastern Visayas especially in three Samar provinces.
In a press statement, the army said that the most significant of their performance this year was the joint declaration of Eastern Samar as “Manageable Conflict-Affected and Development-Ready Area (MCADRA)” in a ceremony held last March 26, 2013 at the Capitol Building in Borongan City, Eastern Samar.
“That makes the province ready for economic investment and sustainable development as experienced in Cebu, Bohol, Biliran, Leyte and Southern Leyte where businesses started to thrive and attract investments when they were declared as MCADRA."
The army is eyeing to make Samar and Northern Samar insurgent-free by 2016.
The military lauded the stakeholder’s acceptance to the achievement of in the implementation of Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) “Bayanihan.”
“Through this, we have become effective agents of peace in the region showcasing adherence to and observance of human rights, rule of law and International Humanitarian Laws,” the statement said.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=551894