Torres cited the declining strength of the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) in its area of jurisdiction following the series of surrenders and neutralization of the key personalities of the group, including the recoveries of several firearms recently.
“ It is difficult, if we will do it alone, but it is not impossible, going by the trend of the decline of the CPP-NPA-NDF in my area of operations. It is not really impossible,” Torres said in an ambush interview Wednesday (Nov. 17) in Sarangani Province.
On November 9, alias Borjack, the Secretary of the Guerilla Front Alip and Secretary of the Regional Operations Command (ROC) of the Far South Mindanao Region (FSMR) surrendered to the government troops in Sarangani Province.
Other NPA leaders who surrendered recently were Jocy Villaruel Papasin alias Domai, the Secretary of the Weakened Guerilla Front 18 (WGF 18), Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SMRC) and Gilberto Garcia Colita alias Jhonny, the commander of WGF 18, SMRC who surrendered on November 12.
According to Torres, their surrender led to the discovery of different arms caches in Davao de Oro, Davao Oriental, Sarangani Province, and Agusan del Sur.
A total of 46 high-powered firearms, Improvised Explosive Device (IED), and homemade shotguns were recovered by the troops this month alone.
“All of these trends would point into the direction of really defeating insurgency in this part of our country. It’s difficult if we will do it alone, but getting the support of everybody particularly the Local Chief Executives (LCE), hence, it is possible to realize the accomplishment of bringing lasting peace and sustainable development in this part of our country,” Torres said.
These victories, according to Torres, can be attributed to the relentless efforts of his unit commanders and the active participation of different government agencies and the community as well through the National Task Force in Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
“With this recent undertaking of your Army Infantry Division, we can say that the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) are continuously losing every battle they face against the government and the Filipino people,” he said.
He further said “While the CTG are losing in armed operations, we on the other hand are winning the hearts and the minds of the people. Thus, their decimation in the 10ID area of responsibility is inevitable. They will cease to exist in Southern Mindanao and eventually in our country.”
Photos: Armando Fenequito Jr.