By Priam Nepomuceno
MANILA – The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Sunday urged Filipinos to reject recruitment calls of the New People’s Army (NPA) and shun their continued acts of violence.
NTF-ELCAC executive director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr., in a statement, said there is nothing worth celebrating in a movement built on decades of violence and deception, as the insurgent group observes its 57th founding anniversary.
“For 57 years, what has been offered is not liberation, but bloodshed — violence disguised as ideology and a struggle that has only deepened poverty and suffering,” he added.
The NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), was established on March 29, 1969 by CPP founder Jose Maria Sison and former members of the Hukbalahap (Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon or People’s Army Against Japan), led by Bernabe Buscayno.
“There is nothing to celebrate in a movement that thrives on fear and exploits the very people it claims to serve,” he said.
Torres said the legacy of the insurgency is written not in victories, but in lost lives, broken families and communities held hostage by intimidation and false promises.
Torres said there is ongoing “decisive and irreversible shift on the ground” against the NPA remnants as former rebels lay down their arms and reconnect with their families.
“Across the country, from the farthest barangays to our urban centers, Filipinos are choosing peace — freely, consciously, and in growing numbers,” he added.
Data from the National Amnesty Commission show 16,003 applications, far exceeding the initial projection of 10,000.
Of these, 13,633 were actual combatants and supporters of the armed struggle under the CPP-NPA-National Democratic Front.
Their applications were received before the March 13 deadline. Torres said such developments are not isolated gains but “clear, measurable signs” that the decades-long insurgency is nearing its end.
“This is no longer just a security campaign. This is a whole-of-nation movement anchored on truth, justice, and genuine opportunity,” he added.
However, he urged Filipinos not to be complacent as the threat has evolved, shifting from the battlefield to more insidious forms of recruitment, particularly among the youth.
“For decades, recruitment has not begun with armed struggle, but with manipulation — through misinformation, emotional coercion and the systematic erosion of critical thinking. These are the hallmarks of terrorist grooming,” he said. (PNA)
