No more guerrilla fronts in Eastern Visayas – military

Two high-ranking military officials in the region confirmed in a media forum on Wednesday, January 17, that there is no longer any active guerrilla front controlling villages in Eastern Visayas.

MGen. Camilo Ligayo, 8th Infantry Division commander and chairman of the Regional Task Force 8 to End Local Communist Armed Conflict Technical Working Group, stated that 2023 had been a good year for his group since there are no longer any guerrilla fronts taking advantage of particular villages in the region which he referred to as already dismantled and cleared.

“I think that there are still individuals wandering the region attempting to reorganize these terrorist groups, which is why we will continue to perform our duty to ensure that the people of Eastern Visayas have a peaceful and prosperous 2024,” Ligayo said in Filipino.

According to the data provided by Ligayo to The Manila Times, a total of 1,065 communist terrorist group members were neutralized, including 28 who were killed, 13 captured, 164 surrendered, 228 Milisyang Bayan, 163 Batakang Organisasyon sa Partido, 270 Underground Mass Organization and 199 mass supporters.

In a related development, Lt. Col. Jomar Buban, assistant chief of staff for civil military operations of 8th Infantry Operations, stated that terrorist groups are also performing urban operations, which are widely known as sectoral front organizations, which gather individuals to form large protests.

“In Eastern Visayas, we are grateful that there are no large protest demonstrations,” Buban said.

“There are just 11 sectoral front organizations on record, and all of them are now defective and inactive,” he added.

Ligayo further stated that the government offers programs for anyone willing to surrender and cooperate.

“Armed conflict is no longer appropriate in today’s society,” Ligayo ended.