Yearender: Police, military claim victories vs Luzon rebs

SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga — Despite the worldwide concern over terrorist threats from Islamic extremists, the communist insurgency remained the top concern of the police and the military in four regions north of Metro Manila this year.

The military ushers in the New Year with claims of victory in its fight against the two major communist armed groups — the mainstream New People’s Army (NPA), which marks its 26th anniversary today, and the breakaway Rebolusyonaryong Hukbo ng Bayan (RHB).

The rivalry between the two guerrilla groups, military officials say, have helped in this victory, with each group reportedly squealing on each other.

Last May, Chief Superintendent Reynaldo Berroya, former Central Luzon police director, reported to President Arroyo that police had uncovered training camps of Muslim extremist groups in Anda, Pangasinan and San Clemente, Tarlac, where nine suspects had been arrested. He said these groups had links with the Jemaah Islamiyah, believed to be the counterpart of the al-Qaeda in Southeast Asia.

Still, military and police officials have downplayed threats from these groups. Berroya’s successor, Chief Superintendent Oscar Calderon, said the prevailing bias against Muslims in the predominantly Christian Central Luzon has made these extremist groups wary of their moves.

Communist insurgency, police and military officials agree, remains their top peace and order concern.

Fatalities

The military has figures to back up its claim of victory over the communist rebels. Fatalities on the military side have been minimal: Army Cpl. Tony Caballero, who was killed last November in a clash in Barangay Liscocho in San Quintin, Pangasinan; and one Lt. Biernes, who was shot dead by a suspected NPA recruit in Cagayan.

These data were based on reports released to the media by military units under Maj. Gen. Rodolfo Garcia, chief of the Armed Forces’ North Luzon Command, which covers the Cagayan, Ilocos, Central Luzon and Cordillera regions.

On the other hand, both the NPA and the RHB reportedly suffered significant casualties, notably in Barangay Puncan in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija last Nov. 20 when 17 NPA rebels were killed in a fierce gunbattle with Army troopers.

Among those killed in Carranglan was May Jorduelo, alias Ka Kin, believed to be the head of the Sandatahang Yunit Pampropaganda of the Nueva Ecija provincial party committee.

An RHB commander, a certain Ka Francis, was killed and seven others were captured during a firefight with men of the 56th and 66th Infantry Brigades in Sitio Bakbakan in Barangay Sumandig, San Ildefonso, Bulacan last Nov. 13.

Four more RHB guerrillas, including three women, were reportedly killed in another clash last Nov. 9 in Barangay San Roque in Sta. Ana, Pampanga. But different versions of the incident gave rise to nagging claims by the NPA that the police and the military were allegedly using the RHB as their paramilitary unit.

NPA-RHB rivalry

After the Sta. Ana incident, the NPA’s Palermo Ortañez Command came out with a statement belying the military’s claim that the four fatalities were its members.

The NPA said those killed were "plain criminals" who were summarily executed. Police later changed their story, saying the victims were former members of another smaller communist group who had shifted to criminal operations.

The erroneous claims of the military and the police on both the Sta. Ana and Mexico incidents, the NPA alleged, were "part of the psychological operations of the Armed Forces and the police to confuse the public and cover up (their) failures in their drive against progressive groups and… their support for the RHB which is their paramilitary group."

The RHB later issued its own statement, saying four of its members were, indeed, killed in a clash with Army soldiers.

Threats to government execs

Last July, the military in the Ilocos region claimed to have uncovered NPA documents in Cabugao, Ilocos Sur, indicating that the family of the late President Ferdinand Marcos faced threats of liquidation from the rebels for their "blood debts" for allegedly "embezzling public funds" during the 20-year martial law regime.

Ilocos Sur Gov. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., however, dismissed the threats as a "standard order" of the NPA which the Marcos family had known "for a very long time."

Last Dec. 14, Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople bared that he faced a similar threat from the NPA for his mission to convince European Union countries to declare the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the NPA as terrorist organizations and National Democratic Front (NDF) leader Jose Ma. Sison as a terrorist.

He said the NPA had formed a squad, headed by one Ka Levy based in his Bulacan hometown of Malolos, to liquidate him. But Ople dismissed the threat, saying, "it is a price to pay in doing service to the public."

Rebel attacks

Despite Garcia’s insistence that communist guerrillas are now on the run, the rebels, particularly the NPA’s, have nevertheless scored victories. Last Nov. 15, a band of 50 NPA rebels overpowered soldiers and burned powerhouses, generators and a cargo vessel of the Diapitan Resources Development Corp. in Dilasag, Aurora whose management had refused to shell out a P10-million annual "revolutionary tax."

Last Dec. 8, two NPA groups from Aurora and Quirino joined forces and intercepted and torched 20 logging trucks, a bulldozer and a pick-up van on the mountains of Dinapigue in Isabela. The vehicles belonged to the Philippine Aggregates Timber Export Co. (Pateco), a sister firm of Diapitan, whose management also ignored the NPA’s demand for a P6-million yearly revolutionary tax.

Guerrilla losses

Garcia said the military has overrun several NPA camps and that the guerrillas have been on the run, particularly in the forested areas east of North Luzon.

He, however, admitted that 343 barangays in Central Luzon remain "affected" by communist rebel operations. But he downplayed this as "insignificant" considering that Central Luzon has about 1,900 barangays.

Garcia said the continued anti-insurgency operations have reduced the number of armed communist insurgents in North Luzon from about 1,800 in 2001 to only about 1,600 this year.

Of the 1,600 armed rebels, 1,000 are in Central Luzon while the rest are spread out in the regions farther north.

"Of the 1,000 armed rebels in Central Luzon, about 800 belong to the mainstream NPA and the rest to the RHB," he said.