ILOILO CITY — The Philippine Army has set a bold target to declare Panay Island under a Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS) status by September this year.
“Our goal to declare the whole of Panay Island as SIPS status is very close. Hopefully, by the end of September we can declare it for the island,” said Maj. Gen. Marion Sison, division commander of the 3rd Infantry Division (3ID), in a press conference on Tuesday.
An area with a SIPS status means that it is considered cleared and unaffected by communist insurgents and relatively peaceful.
PEACE AND SECURITY 301st Infantry Brigade commander Brig. Gen. Michael Samson (left) and Maj. Gen. Marion Sison, division commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, share the achievements of the Philippine Army in its campaign against communist insurgency in Western Visayas. PHOTO BY RJAY ZURIAGA CASTOR
Sison said the army has “weakened” the Central Front of the Komiteng Rehiyonal Panay (KR-P) and dismantled the other eight guerilla fronts of the New People’s Army (NPA).
“They are already very weak. With our latest encounter here in the province, they are struggling even more now — they have nothing to eat and can’t sleep,” he added.
Sison said there are only 23 rebels from the Central Front of the KR-P that they need to eradicate.
He explained that before the army can officially declare a guerilla front dismantled, specific parameters must be met.
One key indicator is the rebels’ inability to inflict further atrocities and that their manpower has been reduced to fewer than 10 members.
“They are extortionists, arsonists, murderers, and bandits. They are just a group of bandits and are not fighting for anything right,” he added.
Sison has appealed to the remaining rebels to surrender and embrace peace, emphasizing that they have no viable options left and that their continued resistance will only lead to capture or their demise
“If the 23 do not want to surrender or make way for peace, they will be completely eliminated. We will not stop until they are all gone. As long as they are still there, we cannot guarantee the security and peace situation of Panay Island,” he stressed.
Clash casualty named
The 3ID has identified the five fatalities of the NPA from three consecutive encounters with the operating troops of the 12th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Aglonok, Calinog, Iloilo on August 8.
The deceased have been identified as Aurelio Berjes Bosque, Jovelyn Silverio, Armando Rogelio Sabares, Rumulo Ituriaga Gangoso, and Jielmor Gauranoc.
According to revelations from former rebels, Bosque was a prominent member of the Regional Headquarters (RHQ) Executive Command (Execom) of KR-Panay and served as the spokesperson for Bayan Panay in the early 2000s.
Silverio was a member of the Regional Sentro de Grabidad Madia-as Platoon, and served as the current Platoon Supply Officer for RHQ, KR-Panay. He was also involved in a raid on a police station in Maasin, Iloilo, in June 2017.
Sabares, a former Execom member and a specialist in improvised explosive devices, was implicated in several bombing incidents that resulted in multiple casualties. He faces criminal charges for multiple murders and frustrated murders in the sixth judicial region.
Gangoso, the former commanding officer of the dismantled Eastern Front and later RHQ, KR-Panay, was also facing charges for alarm and scandal and attempted homicide.
Gauranoc had served in various capacities within the RSDG and other KR-Panay units.
Due to the remote location of the encounter site, the bodies were airlifted to local funeral homes for autopsy.
“With their latest debacle, we can see how the Philippine Army is focusing on its military operations. We will not stop until we have completely eradicated them or until we can declare that their organization is already irrelevant,” Sison added.