The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday announced that from Jan. 1 to Apr. 10 this year, a total of 354 New People’s Army (NPA) members and supporters have been neutralized.
During a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla, 303 of the communist insurgents surrendered to government forces.
In military terminology, “neutralize” means rendering individuals incapable of further action, and it may involve surrender, capture, or death during operations.
Additionally, 25 Reds were apprehended and 26 killed in encounters with government forces during the same period.
“A total of 250 firearms and 116 anti-personnel mines were either seized or surrendered and 54 encampments were seized (in the same period),” Padilla said.
She reminded the NPA holdouts that the “doors of peace will not be open forever” as the amnesty period is only until next year.
The military previously reported that 88 out of the 89 NPA guerrilla fronts have been neutralized, leaving only one still operational but already debilitated.