Manila: The New People's Army (NPA) is now 'leaderless' and only has one remaining 'weakened' guerrilla front that is expected to be dismantled within the year, the National Security Council (NSC) said Wednesday. In a panel discussion hosted by the Presidential Communications Office, NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya stated that the NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), is at its lowest point in more than 50 years.
According to Philippines News Agency, Malaya explained that the NPA is currently without leadership due to the neutralization of many members of its Central Committee. The organization is now run by small unit commanders. Malaya attributed the CPP-NPA's defeat to leadership losses following the death of its founder, Jose Maria Sison, and the neutralization of key Central Committee members, along with focused military and police operations, socio-economic investments, and sustained localized peace engagements.
The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict's (NTF-ELCAC) anti-terror grooming and radicalization program has impeded the NPA's recruitment efforts in schools and universities. Malaya noted that the NPA has failed to reclaim its lost mass bases due to NTF-ELCAC's initiatives, intensified military and police operations, legal and financial restrictions, socio-economic projects, and amnesty programs.
Malaya highlighted a '98.88 percent' accomplishment rate in dismantling the NPA's guerrilla fronts, stating that the rebels can no longer threaten the peaceful conduct of the May 2025 mid-term elections. He mentioned that only one weakened guerrilla front remains in the province of Camarines Sur, expressing personal disappointment as he hails from the area. This remaining weakened front is expected to be dismantled within the year.
Currently, there are 1,050 remaining NPA armed members scattered across the country. When NTF-ELCAC was organized, there were 89 guerrilla fronts, which have now been reduced to one weakened front. Despite the challenges in dismantling this last front due to its evasion tactics, Armed Forces of the Philippines Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Jimmy Larida is optimistic that it will be dismantled by March.
