AFP chief: NPA fighters down to 'over 1,500'

ARMED FORCES of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said on Monday the remaining number of active New People's Army (NPA) insurgents are now "a little over 1,500".

"Yung manpower, dun sa presentation po natin (during the Command Conference), ang estimate is just now a little over 1,500 (per the presentation, NPA manpower is estimated a little over 1,500)," Brawner said in a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, shortly after the first command conference with military officials this year.

This is significantly lower than the estimated 25,000 active NPA fighters from the late 1980s up to early 1990s, Brawner said.

Asked if the AFP is capable of ending the insurgency threat within the year, he said the military "will try to do that".

Last December 31, the AFP announced that it had dismantled eight NPA guerilla fronts in 2023, aside from weakening 14 others in the same year.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. also said while the NPA has “zero active guerilla fronts,” there is a need to continue the counterinsurgency efforts to enhance the country’s internal security.

Continued focused military operations also resulted in the neutralization of 67 high-value individuals who belong to communist and local terrorist groups, the AFP added.

In 2023, the military also successfully neutralized 1,399 members of communist and local terrorist groups.

It has also seized 1,751 firearms through capture, confiscation, recovery, or surrender. (Priam Nepomuceno)