Rebels claim communist insurgency now fought on more fronts

TARLAC CITY — The New People’s Army (NPA) now has 130 guerrilla fronts — up from 128 last year — spread throughout more than 9,000 barangays in about 800 towns in 70 provinces nationwide except Metro Manila, the rebel movement said yesterday.

"We hope to attain soon a stable number of 140 guerrilla fronts in at least 11,000 barrios," the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) said in a statement to mark the NPA’s 36th founding anniversary.

"We expect 50 percent of the guerrilla fronts will have a sum total of NPA fighters equivalent to a company and the other 50 percent, less than a company."

The CPP said more recruits are joining the NPA whose arsenal of automatic rifles and other high-powered weapons has "significantly" increased.

"(The NPA) can strengthen itself as a fighting force upon the fulfillment of such requisites as political and military training, building the organs of political power and the mass organizations, carrying out land reform and other campaigns and intensifying tactical offensives that are sure of victory," read the statement.

"(The NPA must) annihilate enemy units and seize weapons to strengthen itself as a fighting force. It must have the inexhaustible support of the people."

The CPP said the NPA has set up a people’s militia to police barangays and to serve as "self-defense units" of mass organizations.

"These formations can help the NPA cover extensive areas and render service within the range of their competence and training," it added.

The CPP said the NPA is "prepared to take the necessary action" against US troops in the country who are taking part in joint military exercises with Filipino soldiers.

"We have repeatedly told the US imperialists to respect the national sovereignty and territory of the Filipino people, to withdraw their troops from the Philippines and to stop their acts of military intervention," it said.

"Instead, they are escalating their military presence and acts of military intervention. They (US troops) can be made to bleed and die on the ground, as now demonstrated by the Iraqi people and previously by the Vietnamese and other peoples."

A "certain number of guerrilla fronts" have a total armed strength amounting to a company, while others have less than a company, the CPP said.

The CPP said the NPA was set up on March 29, 1969 in Barangay Sta. Rita in Capas, Tarlac with 60 guerrillas led by Bernabe Buscayno, alias Kumander Dante, a disgruntled fighter of the Hukbong Mapagpalaya ng Bayan.

At that time, the NPA had only nine automatic rifles and 25 small firearms, the statement added. – Benjie Villa, Ding Cervantes