Demise of Bicol communist groups restores villagers’ sense of peace
- Bicolmail Web Admin
- Nov 15
- 3 min read
By Keren Anne Bernadas
LEGAZPI CITY --- Arnel (not his real name) had lived in constant fear when communist insurgents dominated his village in Albay.
He experienced panic attacks every time a representative from the New People’s Army (NPA) forced him to give part of his income from his convenience store and small farm to the terrorist organization.
“If we don’t give, they threaten to kill us,” he said in an interview with the Integrated State Media.
However, in recent years, the NPA guerrillas have become increasingly absent from his village. Although Arnel didn’t know the reason for this change, it has restored a sense of peace to his community.
“We can now sleep peacefully and without fear. We can continue our simple livelihoods without anxiety, harassment, or anything else,” he said.
On Wednesday, Oct. 29, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) announced that the government had dismantled three of the communist insurgency’s sub-regional committees in the Bicol region.
These sub-regional rebel units function similarly to provincial police commands and operate under the direction of the NPA and its political party, the Communist Party of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front, collectively referred to in the military as CPP-NPA-NDF, according to Major Frank Roldan, the chief of the Public Affairs Office of the 9th Infantry Division.
Roldan confirmed that the dismantling of these sub-regional committees was validated by the Philippine National Police, the Philippine Army, and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, all of which have reported a decrease in incidents of harassment and extortion by the communist terrorist groups in some parts of Albay, Sorsogon, and Camarines Norte.
“We are grateful to the Joint Regional Task Force 5 (JRTF-5) for dismantling the sub-regional committees. This has a significant impact because the terrorist CPP-NPA-NDF can no longer disrupt our rural areas,” said Arnulfo Bajarin, NTF-ELCAC director for operations.
JRTF is a coalition that includes government agencies and local officials, such as the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) 9th Infantry Division.
Bajarin noted that with the dissolution of the sub-rebel units, government infrastructure projects in their areas are no longer subject to extortion from the terrorist organization.
“Because of this, the delivery of social services, farm-to-market roads, and infrastructure projects in the barangays previously affected by these three sub-regional committees will continue uninterrupted,” Bajarin added.
The chair of the Bicol Regional Development Council, Albay Governor Noel Rosal, could not agree more.
“Paliit ng paliit na sila [strength of communist insurgents],” Rosal said in a separate interview.
He noted that the combination of military and civilian efforts aimed at addressing the root causes of conflict through development programs, community engagement, and information campaigns has weakened the CPP-NPA-NDF.
“Our approach is parallel. Together with the armed forces, we are enhancing infrastructure and social services. Because of this, it has become difficult for them to penetrate; they are lacking in personnel and have fewer contacts or ‘poste’ in the barangays,” he explained.
Rosal emphasized that achieving development requires establishing peace and order in a community.
“Count me in… I stand with our armed forces in the mission to eliminate this threat,” Rosal added. (PIA Bicol)
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