PNP, AFP ready for NPA summer offensive

The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) bared yesterday that the New People’s Army rebels are planning to launch its summer offensive against government and civilian targets. Aside from the planned summer offensive on police and military detachments, reports reaching higher headquarters of the PNP and the AFP yesterday said that the Luzon-based rebels have been directed by the CPP-NPA hierarchy to sustain its sabotage operations against establishments of private communication firms.

Police and military authorities have lately monitored increase in rebels’ activities in Bataan, Zambales and Pampanga in Central Luzon while the rebels have become more increasingly active in the Bicol and Southern Tagalog areas.

With its planned summer offensive in Central Luzon, the NPAs Lino Blas Command has already massed up their forces in the hinterlands of Dinalupihan, Bataan and in Floridablanca in Pampanga. In compliance with the directive of the Central Luzon Regional Party Committee, a 40-man rebel group have also been formed to burn cellsites of the Globe Telecoms in Bataan for its continued refusal to pay revolutionary taxes.

"This is not a remote possibility. These terrorists have already torched the telecommunication facilities of Globe Telecoms in Zaragosa, Nueva Ecija; La Paz in Tarlac and in Abucay, Bulacan early this year," a senior intelligence police official said.

Meanwhile, the Melito Glor Command along with the Mindoro-based Lucio de Guzman Command have also been monitored to be gearing up for the launching of the summer offensive as directed by their leaders based in The Netherlands, in the Southern Tagalog and the Bicol regions.

"Recent ambuscades and liquidation of police and military personnel in Southern Tagalog and in Bicol staged by these terrorists were enough indications that they are planning something big this dry season," a senior military intelligence source told The STAR.

Early last month, communist guerrillas ambushed and killed four anti-carjacking policemen in Lucena City. The killing was followed by an ambuscade on a police chief in Camarines Sur, though the police officer survived with a lone gunshot wound to the left face.

The PNP and the AFP are now closely coordinating their efforts form low military and police units to thwart the communist plot.