Manila: Recent defeats of New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Toboso and Cauayan, Negros Occidental have shown the "irreversible collapse of the remaining communist terrorist infrastructure" in the region, a ranking National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) official said Sunday. These losses, NTF-ELCAC executive director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. said, shatters the communist insurgents' long-running illusion of a so-called 'people's revolution' in Negros.
According to Philippines News Agency, the defeats exposed what Torres described as a violent movement built on deception, fear, ideological exploitation, and the systematic manipulation of vulnerable sectors. 'But the people themselves have now rendered their verdict. Negrenses rejected terrorism as the path toward justice and reform,' Torres said.
The clashes in Toboso last April 19 and Cauayan on May 16 resulted in the death of 19 and five NPA members, respectively. Torres said the April 19 clash, where 19 armed "communist terrorist group" (CTG another name for the NPA) members were killed, including longtime rebel leader Roger Fabillar, was a turning point that exposed the collapse of the remaining guerrilla network in Northern Negros.
'What collapsed in Toboso was not merely an armed unit. It was the last illusion of a movement already abandoned and despised by the very communities it falsely claimed to represent,' Torres said. Despite decades of insurgency, Torres said Negros communities embrace peace, reintegration, democratic governance, and economic recovery.
He cited the growing number of areas placed under Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS) status, the dismantling of guerrilla fronts, and persona non grata declarations against the Communist Party of the Philippines- NPA- National Democratic Front across Negros as indicators that the insurgency has lost moral and political ground.
'Negros is no longer a symbol of insurgency. It is becoming a symbol of recovery, resilience, peace, and democratic renewal. The old chapter of deception, terror-grooming, and violence is closing before the eyes of the nation," he said. Torres, citing statements made by 3rd Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Michael Samson, said local officials and residents there appealed to authorities to end the rebels' terror in their area.
He said Negros residents no longer shield the insurgency but are actively helping in dismantling it. Torres linked the public outrage against the NPA to the recent killing of charcoal maker Joseph Agustin, described by authorities as another victim of 'spy-tagging' - an internal practice where individuals are branded as government informants and executed based on suspicion and paranoia.
'The killing of Joseph Agustin is a tragic reminder that paranoia, coercion, and violence remain embedded in the operational culture of the dying CPP-NPA-NDF movement,' he said.
Torres called on the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to take a decisive stand against communist-linked violence, executions, terror-grooming, and spy-tagging. 'The time has come for the CHR to heed the growing call of the people of Negros and decisively help put an end to the violence. Human rights must never be selective, ideological, or distorted by propaganda," Torres said.
Torres said genuine human rights advocacy demands impartiality and the courage to condemn all forms of violence, regardless of ideology. 'It is high time for the CHR to put its foot down with resolve against executions, terror-grooming, intimidation, and spy-tagging killings that continue to victimize communities,' he added.
