Manila: After decades of violence in Indigenous Peoples (IP) communities, the New People's Army (NPA) is facing collapse as intensified military operations force its remaining fighters into retreat in Surigao del Sur, an IP leader said Monday. Datu Rico Maca, the IP Mandatory Representative (IPMR) of San Miguel, Surigao del Sur, lauded the Philippine Army for a series of successful operations that have weakened the manpower and firepower of the NPA's North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC).

According to Philippines News Agency, the NEMRC's guerrilla fronts have already been dismantled, most of its fighters have surrendered, some were killed, and their firearms were recovered by the military. Maca highlighted these achievements in an interview, emphasizing the significant impact on the NPA's operational capabilities.

Recent military operations in the hinterlands of San Miguel have resulted in the death of three rebels, the recovery of six firearms and bomb-making materials, and the surrender of two others. On April 17, two female NPA members were killed in a skirmish in Barangay San Roque, San Miguel. One was identified as the finance officer and wife of the NEMRC commander, alias Bong Waco, while the other was a member of the Manobo tribe.

On April 15, the NEMRC's political instructor yielded to the Army, citing trauma and exhaustion. On the same day, another rebel was killed, and five high-powered firearms were seized during an encounter in Barangay Bolhoon. Additionally, the Army recovered four gallons of a nitro energetic molecule, used for fabricating improvised explosive devices (IEDs), in Barangay Mahaba, Marihatag, on April 12.

Maca noted that IP communities have long suffered from the insurgency and that its end will bring peace and development to the Manobo tribe. He expressed optimism that San Miguel and the rest of the province would be declared insurgency-free within the year.