Army brushes off CCP’s attack order to NPA vs. gov’t forces

The Philippine Army is keeping an eye on the possible communist attacks against government forces as the New People’s Army celebrates the 55th year of its establishment. 

On the NPA's founding anniversary on 29 March, the Communist Party of the Philippines’Central Committee ordered the Reds' cadres and card-carrying party members to “carry out all possible kinds of tactical offensives employing all kinds of weapons “from rocks, machetes, booby traps, rifles, and land mines and all sorts of weapons that the people can craft.”

The CPP’s Central Committee also ordered the NPA “to ambush the government troops’ reconnaissance units, perimeter defense or supply lines and to attack their isolated outposts, among other moves.”

The Philippine Army lambasted the CPP’s order to NPA, noting that it carries no significance. 

“This is part of their propaganda to show that they are still relevant,” Army spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala told the DAILY TRIBUNE in a text message. 

Dema-ala said the CPP-NPA is already on the “brink of collapse” and they do not have active guerrilla fronts as of this date.

“This call to conduct attacks on government troops is a manifestation of their barbaric nature,” he noted. 

Dema-ala said the military is prepared to respond against the looming NPA attacks. 

“Nonetheless, the Philippine Army is still vigilant to the possible terroristic activities that they may launch and our units in the frontline continuously conduct focused military operations to pursue and neutralize the remaining members of the communist terrorist group,” Dema-ala stressed.