The Filipino Government has declared the “dismantling of all New People’s Army (NPA)’s Guerrilla Fronts (GF) by the Philippine Army’s 10th Infantry Division in the province of Davao del Norte”.
According to Captain Mark Anthony Tito, the spokesman of 10th Infantry Division, the province was declared free of insurgents during a press conference held at Davao del Norte Gym in Mankilam, Tagum City on Monday, June 13.
According to him: “in 2016, four groups including GF 3, GF 34, and the Pulang Bagani Command (PBC) 4 under the Sub-Regional Committee (SRC) 4; and Guerilla Front 55 of SRC 5, all under the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SMRC) of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) operating in said province had been destroyed by the government troops.
Also, GF 34 was dismantled in 2019 while GF 33 and PBC 4 were dismantled and destroyed in 2020 respectively.
It was then followed by the dismantling of GF 55 operating in Talaingod town in 2021.
Early this year, 10th ID were able to destroy GF 3, which is considered as the oldest guerilla front in the country.”
Outgoing President Duerte cut off peace talks with the NPA in 2021 after several months of delegations brokered by Norway in the Netherlands. He declared a “whole-of-nation” approach which apparently has paid off in clearing this important region of insurgents. As of 2018, the total strength of the NPA was about 5,500 fighters, but that number has probably been cut to less than 4,000 after the last two years of intense combat.
This conflict is also going on simultaneously as the government fights Islamist groups in the Minidanao region where a jihad has been carried out since around the same time as Maoist groups began fighting the Filipino government in 1968. This has been dubbed the Moro Conflict. These groups seek autonomous rule in the southwestern region with Islamic law, about 120,000 people have been killed in that conflict.
