‘NPA still biggest internal security threat’

President Arroyo ordered troops yesterday to push their offensive against the New People’s Army (NPA), which military commanders say remains the top internal security threat.

"What the President wants is to strengthen the offensive stance of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines)," Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz said yesterday. "The President was briefed about the security situation of the country and there’s a clear direction towards more and more stability."

Cruz attended the first command conference for the year, along with Armed Forces chief Gen. Generoso Senga and Army commander Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon and the military top brass, which was presided over by Mrs. Arroyo at Malacañang yesterday.

Cruz said the AFP presented to Mrs. Arroyo its "adjusted and amended" national internal security plan detailing steps to be taken for the country to secure peace and order.

The command conference also tackled Mrs. Arroyo’s recent order to release P1.5 billion to fund housing projects for soldiers in 16 camps all over the country covering a total of 750 hectares, he added.

Esperon said Mrs. Arroyo wanted to "instill the offensive spirit that should propel us to take more action" against the NPA to weaken its fighting capability within the next few years.

Troops will launch more offensives against the NPA, while the Judge Advocate General’s Office would file charges against communist leaders suspected to have led raids on military and police outposts, he added.

Esperon said the NPA strength went down from 8,000 guerrillas with 6,100 firearms in 2004 to 7,400 fighters with 5,900 firearms in 2005.

"So while there are some very noticeable offensives that they’ve launched, on the overall, they (communist rebels) are on the decline," he said.

The P5 billion earlier ordered released by Mrs. Arroyo for the AFP was mainly for capital outlay, but part of it would be used to fund the recruitment of additional militiamen, he added.

AFP spokesman Col. Tristan Kison said the estimated strength of the NPA is now small compared to its 26,000 members in 1987.

Other threats discussed during the meeting were the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiyah, he added.

Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor said while the actual number of NPAs has declined, the rebels have increased their guerrilla fronts and intensified their psychological and propaganda efforts, as well as their high-profile attacks and extortion activities.

"They (NPAs) are not increasing, but they continue to hamper the economy, and we have received reports that many businesses continue to be victims of extortion by the NPA," he said.

Mrs. Arroyo has ordered the recruitment of additional militiamen for the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Units (CAFGUS) and their intensified training and supervision to make them a more effective complement to the AFP’s effort to protect communities from the NPA, he added.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the command conference, which is normally held at the AFP general headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, had nothing to do with the resurgent talks of another coup nor was it a loyalty check.

The meeting was held in Malacañang as some 13 generals were scheduled to take their oath of office before Mrs. Arroyo yesterday, he added.

Senga said reports of an alliance between the NPA and members of the so-called Magdalo group of renegade military officers were briefly discussed.

It was not surprising that the Communist Party of the Philippines and the NPA would try to forge a coalition with groups out to topple the Arroyo administration, he added.

However, Esperon said there were reports that mutinous junior military officers might have been misled into forging a tactical alliance with the NPA.