CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City—The communist terrorist group suffered significant strategic losses ahead of its anniversary on December 26, as it lost a great number of its guerilla units, leaders, and members.
In 2022, the CTG was reduced to 2,112 members with 1,876 firearms as a result of the AFP’s campaign and the whole-of-nation program being implemented by the NTF-ELCAC. Likewise, their guerilla fronts were reduced to 22 from 89 six years ago. Seventeen of these were already classified as weakened while the remaining five (5) guerilla fronts are now the focus of relentless focused military operations and synergized efforts employing the whole-of-nation approach.
Moreover, CTG leaders were neutralized by the government forces including Helenita Pardales Secretary of the CTG's Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee; Ericson Acosta, top NPA leader of Komite Rehiyon - Cebu-Bohol, Negros, Sequijor; Rogelio Sapon Gerondio Jr, Secretary Sub-regional Committee 3 in Agusan Del Norte; and Gina Belsa Granada, Secretary of defunct Guerilla Front BBC in Zamboanga Del Norte among others.
In terms of their resource generation, CTG's extortion activities significantly reduce their finances and source of logistics. From as high as P4.2 billion in 2017, they were only able to extort P8.5 million in 2022. Schemes to raise funds through so-called international solidarity works were also stopped in coordination with legitimate foreign advocacy financers.
Meanwhile, in the first semester of 2022, the CTG further lost its credibility due to its continuing human rights and IHL violations. For 2022, 156 human rights and IHL cases have been filed against CTG personalities bringing the total to 1,886 since the year 2010. The number summarizes the CTG’s continued use of children in armed conflict, destruction of civilian properties, use of anti-personnel mines, willful killings, and other HR abuses.
AFP Chief of Staff LtGen Bartolome Vicente Bacarro said during the 87th AFP anniversary rites that the military has achieved strategic victory against the CTG. “We can confidently state that we have achieved strategic victory and are inching closer to total victory against these terrorists", he said.
“Our localized peace-building efforts, with multi-stakeholder and whole-of-nation approach, also yielded positive results, as we encouraged enemies of the state to return to the fold of the law and built goodwill with communities,” LtGen Bacarro said.
“Soon, we will unveil a new campaign plan that will set the stage for the attainment of genuine unity, synergy, and peace for our country. Rest assured that we remain hard at work, operationally and strategically, in sustaining the gains made this year,” the CSAFP assured.///
