New Peoples Army guerillas march in Davao City to celebrate the 48th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines on December 26, 2016.

Describing the rebel movement as a money-making venture, the military on Saturday slammed the government enemies’ ploy of spreading false information on the Internet purportedly to lure the gullible into their fold.

Maj. Abel Potutan, acting public information office chief of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)-Central Command, described the false information being spread by their enemies as a desperate move.

Potutan said it was designed to convince people into joining and supporting the rebels’ dwindling and weakening movement.

He was reacting to an online post by a certain Juanito Magbanua, who claimed the government troops suffered at least 27 casualties during a firefight with the communists in Negros Island last month.

A check, however, showed the information provided by Magbanua was false.

“A desperate move of the enemies of the state to lure the people into joining their dwindling money-making armed group,” Potutan said.

Potutan claimed on the contrary, it was the rebels that suffered the said number of casualties and not the military.

“There were only two recorded casualties from the government side when the terrorists blatantly executed one unarmed and off-duty CAFGU member in broad daylight and indiscriminately opened fire at the Army detachment that wounded one soldier,” Potutan added.

Last month, government troops were able to neutralize six NPA terrorists and seized several firearms, war materials and subversive documents.

Lt. Gen. Noel Clement, commander of Central Command, said the fake news tactic used by the NPA will not work anymore on the people.

“People are now more discerning. Never again that these bands of bandits could ever deceive anyone in Negros Island,” Clement said.

He credited the public for supporting them in their anti-insurgency campaign.