AFP vows to sustain combat operations vs armed groups

MANILA, Philippines - The military vowed to sustain combat operations against armed groups and increase its development programs under its new internal security plan “Bayanihan,” which takes effect today.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta, Jr. said there will be no let-up in the campaign against threat groups even if the new plan is heavy on civil-military operations.

“We will not decrease our combat operations against the armed groups but we will increase our engagements with various stakeholders. There will be more civil-military operations and developmental efforts,” Mabanta said.

Mabanta said they expect field commanders to conduct dialogues with various stakeholders to improve the implementation of the new internal security plan.

“We like to imbibe ownership. If there was ownership of a certain plan, everyone would want it to succeed. We can say that this is not only the Armed Forces’ plan but everybody’s plan,” he said.

Bayanihan replaced “Oplan Bantay Laya,” a campaign plan launched in 2002 to end armed rebellion in the country.

Bantay Laya lapsed on June 30 without attaining its goal of defeating the insurgency.

Bayanihan will be in effect until 2016 and will focus on non-combat operations targeted to eliminate on poverty and other causes of rebellion.

Under the new plan, the government will focus on defeating terrorists while pursuing talks with communist rebels and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

On the other hand, the AFP yesterday claimed it had weakened the New People’s Army (NPA) and the Abu Sayyaf last year.

AFP data showed the NPA’s strength has been reduced to 4,111 by the end of 2010 from 4,702 in 2009.

The military said rebels who surrendered to avail of the social integration program eventually weakened the armed strength of the NPA.

The AFP added the number of rebel-infested areas in the country had decreased to 1,017 from 1,077 because of sustained security operations and development projects by the military.

The military said it dismantled three NPA guerrilla fronts last year, reducing the number of communist fronts to 48 from 51 in 2009.

Among the arrested NPA rebels are five regional committee leaders and three front secretaries in Northern Luzon, Davao region, Panay, and Negros island.

The AFP also said it has reduced the armed strength of the Abu Sayyaf to 340 last year from 391 in 2009.

The number of firearms of the terrorist group was also reduced to 296 in 2010 from 340 in the previous year.

The AFP said its relentless combat operations resulted in the death of Abu Sayyaf leaders Albader Parad and Abdulgafur Jumdail, who were killed in separate encounters in Sulu.

On the other hand, incidents of terrorist attacks have been reduced to 29 last year from 54 in 2009.

The AFP said it was able to contain the MILF while upholding the peace process and ceasefire agreement.

The military said the number of violent incidents involving the MILF went down to 31 last year from 298 in 2009

“With the absence of major hostilities between our forces and the MILF, prospects on the peace process are perceived with strong optimism,” AFP public affairs chief Lt. Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said.

A leader of the communist National Democratic Front (NDF), however, believes that Bayanihan is bound to fail.

Jorge Madlos, spokesman of NDF-Mindanao, said the new plan is just a “rehash” of Oplan Bantay Laya.

“Bayanihan seeks to camouflage the brutality of the fascist war with human rights rhetoric, psy-war lies, dole-out campaigns, so-called community organizing for peace and development and other political gimmicks,” he said.– With Jaime Laude