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'Parang 'di naman': CPP kinuwestyon pahayag na 2,112 na lang ang NPA

December 28, 2022 | 4:54pm

'Parang 'di naman': CPP kinuwestyon pahayag na 2,112 na lang ang NPA

This photo taken on July 30, 2017 shows guerrillas of the New People's Army (NPA) in formation in the Sierra Madre mountain range, located east of Manila. Fuelled by one of the world's starkest rich-poor divides, a Maoist rebellion that began months before the first human landed on the moon plods on even though the country now boasts one of the world's fastest-growing economies.

AFP/Noel Celis, File

MANILA, Philippines — Walang katotohanang mahigit 2,000 na lang ang mga miyembro ng rebeldeng New People's Army sa Pilipinas, giit ng Communist Party of the Philippines matapos idiin ng kasundaluhang "humihina" na ang rebolusyonaryong hanay.

Lunes lang nang ihayag ng Armed Forces of the Philippines na 2,112 na lang ang kasapi ng nabanggit kasabay ng pagdiriwang ng CPP — na namumuno sa NPA — ng kanilang ika-54 na anibersaryo.

"[A]ll these numbers are conjured or false, churned out by the AFP leadership for publicity and psywar purposes," wika ni Marco Valbuena, chief information officer ng CPP, Miyerkules.

"Even at face value, these numbers of the AFP do not add up. A closer scrutiny will show that these are, in fact, inconsistent with their claims of 'strategic victory.'"

'DOES NOT ADD UP'

CPP slams AFP's '2,112 NPA fighters and 22 guerrilla fronts remain' claim

"Even at face value, these numbers of the AFPe do not add up. A closer scrutiny will show that these are, in fact, inconsistent with their claims of 'strategic victory.'"—Marco Valbuena pic.twitter.com/iS2Nw7Hzp7
— PRWC | Philippine Revolution Web Central (@prwc_info3) December 28, 2022

Pagmamalaki ng militar, kumokonti ang NPA dahil sa patuloy na operasyon ng gobyerno, pagdadala ng "kaunlaran" sa kanauynan at pagbibigay ng estado ng benepisyo sa mga sumusukong rebelde. Mula sa 89 guerilla fronts, 22 na lang daw ito. Labimpito rito ang kinaklasipika nilang "weakened."

AFP: Strategic victory nakamit

Una nang sinabi Armed Forces chief Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro sa kanilang ika-87 anibersaryo na nakapagkamit na ang militar ng istratehikong tagumpay laban sa NPA.

"We can confidently state that we have achieved strategic victory and are inching closer to total victory against these terrorists," ani Bacarro.

"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 build goodwill with communities."

Ibinabalita ang lahat ng ito ilang araw matapos mamatay ng founding chairperson ng CPP na si Jose Maria Sison nitong ika-16 ng Disyembre.

Si Sison din ang nagtayo ng NPA, na gaya ng CPP ay hindi raw mga terorista, ayon sa desisyon ng Manila Regional Trial Court.

96 NPA kada guerilla front, mahina?

Pero kahit ipagpalagay na totoo ang bilang na inilabas ng militar, hindi raw maituturing na humihina ang mga Pulang Mandirigma. Kung hahatiin daw sa 22 fronts ang diumano'y 2,112 miyembero, lalabas na 96 na NPA ang meron kada guerilla front.

"A company (three full platoons) of Red fighters for every front. I definitely would not classify this as weakened. That is, in fact, around the ideal number of NPA fighters of one company per front," dagdag ni Valbuena.

"If the claimed number was not distributed equally (as the AFP claims, 17 are 'weakened'), and assuming by 'weakened' the AFP means the NPA has 60 Red fighters per front, then you get: 17 x 50 = 1,020, with the rest (1,092) divided among the five strong fronts: 1,092 ÷ 5 = 218 red fighters per front (or more than 7 platoons), which is enough force to cover two fronts."

Kung may tig-120 lang din daw (apat na platoon) ang limang fronts na "hindi mahina," may matitira pa raw na 1,512 NPA sa 17 "weakened fronts."

Katumbas daw ito ng 88 Red Fighters (tatlong platoon) kada front. Malayo raw ito sa pagiging mahina, ani Valbuena.

"For one, it is clear that the AFP cannot even invent the correct numbers to support the false picture of a 'strategic victory' against the NPA," dagdag pa ng CPP official.

"[T]hese show that the supposed 'remaining' NPA fronts are strong and formidable with at least three platoons each."

Gobyerno at problema sa mga numero

Taong 2016 lang nang ibalita ng kasundaluhan na 3,900 na lang ang miyembro ng NPA.

Sa kabila nito, sinabi ni Navy Capt. Ferdinand Buscato, executive director ng Task Force Balik Loob, nitong Abril na 23,641 NPA members na ang sumuko dulot ng Executive Order No. 70 ni dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na siyang lumikha ng National Task Force to End Local Communists Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

Naninindigan ang CPP-NPA, na lumalaban sa aniya'y kontrol ng dayuhan (imperyalismo), kawalan ng lupa (piyudalismo) at pagpapatakbo ng gobyerno bilang negosyo (burukrata kapitalismo), na nananatili silang malakas at patuloy magrerebolusyon upang ibagsak ang "rehimeng US-Ferdinand Marcos Jr."