CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City — During its year-end Command Conference held at the AFP General Headquarters on 25 January 2022, the AFP leadership pushes to end the local communist insurgency by the time President Duterte’s term ends. With Major Services and Unified Commanders in attendance, AFP Chief of Staff General Andres C Centino reiterated the AFP’s urgent and key tasks for 2022—to end local armed conflict and ensure a secure and peaceful 2022 National and Local Elections.
“As your Chief of Staff, I am taking the lead in this final push of our campaign. I enjoin everyone to maintain our momentum, sustain our gains, and remain victorious. Let us finish the local armed conflict within the President’s term. As the Armed Forces of the Filipino people, we shall not fail them in their desire of having a peaceful and secure society,” General Centino concluded.
In ending communist insurgency, Gen. Centino directed AFP commanders to intensify their operations with a sense of urgency and focus on defeating the remaining local threat groups through intelligence-driven combat operations. Specifically, he ordered the redeployment of AFP forces to where the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) are based, launch decisive engagements aimed at destroying the enemies’ will to fight, cut-off their source of funds and logistics support, and hit the enemy leadership hard being the CTG’s center of gravity.
Citing data of AFP operational accomplishments for 2021, there were 43 top NPA leaders and CPP Central Committee members who were neutralized by AFP troops that includes Jorge Madlos, Menandro Villanueva, Pedro Codaste, Eddie Genelsa, and Maria Loida Tuso Magpatoc —all members of the CPP Politburo Committee. Likewise, 10 CPP-NPA guerilla fronts have been dismantled while over 3,000 party and underground organization members and supporters withdrew their membership from the Communist Party of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front.
In its focused military operations against local terrorist groups, the AFP reported the surrender of 144 members of Abu Sayyaf Group, 41 members of Dawla Islamiyah, and 249 members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.
On the 2022 election, the AFP Chief of Staff directed all AFP commanders to actively support the Commission on Elections, the Philippine National Police, and the Department of Interior and Local Government in maintaining peace and order and security during this election period.
“Let us once again be reminded to isolate ourselves from partisan politics so we can focus on our noble mandate of protecting the people and the State. We must avoid participating in any partisan political activities, except to exercises our individual right to vote,” General Centino said.
On the AFP’s humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) operations, General Centino directed the AFP Engineering Units to take the primary role on rehabilitation efforts so that regular combatant forces can shift their focus on internal security operation. The Chief of Staff likewise directed the Unified Commands to maximize the utilization and deployment of reserve units in the conduct of HADR operations.
In closing, General Centino reminded the attendees of the command conference of his command guidance when he assumed as Chief of Staff in November last year —that is, to increase operational efficiency, continue capability development, optimize use of resources, and advance professionalism and meritocracy in the AFP./// (Photo by TSg Obinque PAF/PAOAFP)
