ARMED Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief-of-Staff Carlito Galvez Jr. maintained on Tuesday, October 16, that the communist rebels’ “Red October” plot has already “melted down.”
Galvez said among the indications that the Red October, the Communist Party of the Philippines’ (CPP) plot to unseat President Rodrigo Duterte, has been disrupted is the arrest of five “high-ranking” officials of the CPP-New People’s Army (NPA).
The five arrested persons were identified as Adelberto Silva, a National Democratic Front consultant; Edicel Rodriguez, secretary of the Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee of the NPA; Ernesto Lorenzo, one of the NDF consultants released by the government amid the peace talks; a man identified as "Batu" who is a former deputy secretary and current member of the National Organizational Department of the NPA; and a woman known as "Wena," secretary of the communist group's National Women’s Bureau.
Silva was released from detention along with CPP leaders and couple Benito and Wilma Tiamzon in August 2016 to participate in the peace talks in the Netherlands.
However, they were ordered to be re-arrested after Duterte ordered the cancellation of the peace talks in 2017 due to the attacks conducted by the NPA against the government troops and innocent civilians.
“’Yun ang isa sa batayan na nalusaw, at ‘yung tinatawag natin capability enhancement program, nakita natin indication of the ongoing awareness with the different people and the public. The people now, including the parents, are aware of this sinister act and through this awareness we were able to deter any violent mobilization,” said Galvez.
Galvez was referring to the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-Clip), which, he said, resulted in the surrender of at least 8,000 NPA members.
Under the government’s E-Clip, each rebel surrenderer is entitled to P15,000 financial support, P50,000 for livelihood, and a remuneration for the firearm they surrendered with an amount ranging from P12,000 to P20,000, depending on the type of firearm.
The surrenderers are also being housed in halfway houses provided by the government for the former rebels.
Earlier, the AFP revealed having discovered an ouster plot dubbed “Red October.”
The plot was reportedly architected by a coalition led by leftist leaders Rey Casambre and Satur Ocampo, while other members include the critics of the administration.
The AFP also identified several colleges and universities in Metro Manila that were "penetrated" by the NPA to recruit students. (SunStar Philippines)