CPP-NPA/ INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Police Brigadier General Valeriano De Leon urged the local police to remain vigilant and intensify the gathering of information regarding members of the New People’s Army (NPA) as the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) celebrates its anniversary on December 26.
NPA is the armed division of the CPP, which will turn 51 this year.
De Leon, in a press briefing on Thursday, December 19, 2019, said the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) will maintain alertness considering the “threat” posed by the CPP’s anniversary.
“That is a usual thing. Every time they celebrate their anniversary they might pose danger to our uniformed men on the streets,” De Leon said.
The police official said they hope that they can make December 26 as a day when rebels will lay down their arms instead.
“We remain to be vigilant. Baliktarin natin, baka ito pa ang araw na magsurrender kasi may ginagawa ang kasundalohan at kapulisan sa pagpapalaganap ng peace and order dito sa Central Visayas,” De Leon said.
(Let’s take in another way. Maybe we can put it in a way that this day will be the time that they would surrender because they see that the police and the military are doing a lot to promote peace and order here in Central Visayas.)
But surrender may not be an option for the NPA in the near future.
During the NPA’s 50th anniversary last March 2019, CPP founder Jose Maria Sison said in a statement that their armed movement would continue to intensify until 2021 based on their five-year plan, which commenced in 2017./elb