Manila: A ranking official of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) has made a bold appeal to the remaining members of the New People’s Army (NPA), urging them to denounce the executions carried out by their group. Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr., the Executive Director of NTF-ELCAC, issued this challenge in a statement commemorating International Human Rights Day, emphasizing the importance of condemning the violence ordered by the movement.
According to Philippines News Agency, Torres extended the challenge not only to the NPA but also to the leaders of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the National Democratic Front (NDF), their affiliated organizations, and “ideological apologists.” He called for an admission of the suffering inflicted by their revolutionary actions on the people they claimed to liberate, urging them to condemn the executions justified by their doctrine.
The NTF-ELCAC official highlighted the refusal of the CPP-NPA-NDF to confront the dark aspects of their legacy, which resulted in the execution of thousands of Filipinos, including farmers, students, Indigenous People, activists, and even their own members. Torres referenced the group’s past internal campaigns, such as Oplan Zombie, Kampanyang Ahos, and Kadena de Amor, where individuals suspected of being government spies were killed.
He stressed the need for justice for the victims and their families, noting that peace is not solely the absence of conflict but also the presence of justice, dignity, and respect for every Filipino life. Torres urged the nation to remain vigilant, emphasizing that the peace currently enjoyed must be sustained, protected, and deepened, especially in areas previously affected by conflict.
In his call to action, Torres encouraged the public and civil society groups to reject the normalization of “NPA-style executions.” He urged various sectors, including the academe, youth, civil society, faith groups, local government units, and media, to defend human rights with truth rather than propaganda. He warned against the selective invocation of human rights and their use as a shield for perpetrators.
Torres highlighted the impact of the NPA’s documented killings, including recent “spy-tagging” executions, which have left families shattered and communities silenced by terror. He noted that the strength of the NPA across the country has significantly dwindled from as high as 25,000 in the 1980s to only 780 members today.
