CPP dares Esperon to quit if AFP fails to defeat them on target

Communists challenges Esperon to quit if AFP fails to defeat them on target
By Ronron
January 9, 2007

Manila - The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) is challenging Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. to quit his post at the end of this year if he fails to meet his target in neutralizing the communist movement.

In a statement dated January 8, CPP spokesman Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal expressed confidence that the AFP “will miserably fail” in crushing within the year a significant portion of the New People’s Army’s (NPA) strength.

In a visit to troops yesterday in Davao City, Esperon said the AFP should be able to reduce the number of NPA members to 3,500 or 50 percent by the end of 2010, the timeline set by the government under AFP Campaign Plan Bantay Laya II.

“(Rosal) challenged Esperon to have himself dishonorably discharged from the AFP by the end of 2007 if the AFP fails to meet the targets that he has set. The general’s statement will only blow in his face of an impending upsurge of the revolutionary armed struggle,” the CPP statement reads.

Rosal said that historically, the AFP never succeeded in defeating the 38-year-old communist movement despite its pronouncements.

“The AFP has been declaring to end the NPA since the 1970’s… Even at its strongest during the Marcos martial law years, the AFP could only concentrate its forces in a maximum of 12-15 guerilla fronts in any one year,” Rosal said.

The CPP claims to have more than 120 guerilla fronts nationwide, covering more than 800 municipalities from 70 provinces.

Rosal said it would even be more difficult now for the military to crush the communist movement since there is a standing directive for NPA fighters to continue recruiting new members, and launch offensives against government and private installations.

“By 2010, the NPA targets to complete the plan to form several scores more of company-sized guerilla fronts with several platoon complements each, capable of launching successive tactical offensives nationwide,” Rosal said.

Esperon was in Sulu on Monday, proceeded to Cotabato and Davao Cities thereafter, and then flew to Cebu to make known to troops in the field “a common understanding” on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s order of defeating the NPA by 2010 when her term ends.

The 7,100-strong NPA has been waging guerilla war in the past 37 years./DMS