On the eve of the New People’s Army’s (NPA) 57th anniversary, the national task force overseeing the government’s anti-insurgency campaign issued a sharp rebuke of the movement, labeling its history a legacy of bloodshed rather than liberation.

In a statement released Sunday, Undersecretary Ernesto C. Torres Jr., executive director of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), said the anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) should serve as a moment of national reckoning.

“For 57 years, what has been offered is not liberation, but bloodshed — violence disguised as ideology,” Torres said. “There is nothing to celebrate in a movement that thrives on fear and exploits the very people it claims to serve.”

Torres argued that the insurgency has resulted in lost lives and broken families, holding communities hostage through intimidation.

However, he pointed to a “decisive and irreversible shift” on the ground, noting that former rebels are increasingly laying down their arms and reuniting with their families.

These developments, Torres said, are measurable signs that the decades-long conflict is nearing its end. He described the current effort as a “whole-of-nation movement” anchored on justice and opportunity rather than a strictly military campaign.

The task force chief also issued a warning regarding evolved recruitment tactics. He stated that the threat has shifted from traditional battlefields to “insidious” forms of recruitment, particularly targeting the youth through misinformation and what he described as “terrorist grooming.”

“We must answer falsehood with facts,” Torres said, calling on schools, faith groups, and the private sector to counter division with unity and replace fear with education and livelihood opportunities.

Torres concluded by appealing for a “final push” to end the insurgency, urging all sectors of society to support families in protecting children from radicalization and to honor victims by ensuring no more Filipinos are misled into violence.

“The path forward is clear,” Torres said. “Not armed struggle, but shared responsibility.”