By CPP Information Bureau
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today dismissed as “annual year-end empty bragging” pronouncements made a few days ago by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that they have succeeded in “liberating” 23 provinces of the New People’s Army (NPA).
“The AFP has been known to make such claims, only to be slapped in the face after a few days by NPA offensives,” said the CPP.
According to the AFP, the “liberated” provinces are Apayao, Ifugao, Kalinga, Nueva Viscaya, Quirino, Nueva Ecija, Aurora, Biliran, Cebu, Bohol, Camiguin, Misamis Oriental, South Cotabato, La Union, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Cavite, Marinduque, Romblon, Guimaras, Siquijor, Northern Samar and Southern Leyte.
The CPP pointed out that the AFP earlier made a similar claim that the province of Leyte was”insurgency-free” last 8 December, just a few days before a local unit of the NPA launched tactical offensives.
On 11 December, Red fighters launched an offensive against elements of the 78th Infantry Battalion between Barangays (villages) Roxas and Villa Aurora in Burauen, Leyte. The NPA action was in support of local residents’ demands against military operations in their area which have been disrupting their livelihood and posing dangers to their lives.
“The Communist Party of the Philippines and all revolutionary forces under its leadership, including the New People’s Army, continue to undertake revolutionary work in nearly 70 provinces, building local Party branches and mass organizations, and launching antifeudal, antifascist and anti-imperialist mass struggles and military offensives against the reactionary armed forces,” said the CPP.
“In the next few weeks and months, the AFP will again be eating its own words as the NPA continues to launch more and more tactical offensives across the archiepelago,” said the CPP.
