He said since 2021, eight communist terrorist groups (CTGs), guerilla fronts (GFs), one sub-regional committee (SRC), and one independent platoon had been dismantled.
He said the campaign of the 4th ID in partnership with the different line government agencies under the Task Force ELCAC (ending local communist armed conflict) for the last two years has cemented the path towards the inevitable downfall of the communist terrorist group (CTG) in Caraga and Northern Mindanao regions.
Cuerpo said among those dismantled were NPA criminal groups under their so-called north eastern Mindanao regional committee and north central Mindanao regional committee conducting atrocities and violence in most parts of CARAGA and northern Mindanao region.
“The people are already fed up and tired of the deception and exploitation of the CTG. People are more interested and focused on the peace and developmental projects and the various services that the government has delivered and has been implementing into their communities that will surely provide livelihood opportunities and uplift their lives,” he said in a statement.
362 government-initiated encounters also led to the neutralization of 885 CPP-NPA Terrorists (CNTs) and the capture and surrender of 766 firearms while 234 CTG hideouts were overrun and seized by the government troops.
The latest encounter was last Friday, March 27, in a remote area of San Juan, Bayugan City that resulted in the death of 2 more of their members.
These huge gains make the CTG irrelevant to society. According to Cuerpo, more and more members and even leaders have given up and surrendered as their existence no longer has meaning to the people.
“For more than 54 years, atrocities and threats have drastically vanished. With the overwhelming support of the people on our side, we shall continue to employ more pressure on them through our intensified focused military operations and our collaborations with other government agencies under the Task Force-ELCAC," he said.
Photos from 4th ID