NPA fronts reduced to five, gov aims full eradication by year-end

National Security Adviser Eduardo Año reported that the number of New People's Army (NPA) guerrilla fronts has further reduced to five as per the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC)'s first semester report.

Año expressed confidence in eradicating the NPA armed component by December 2024, despite it being only August, and emphasized that two weakened guerrilla fronts are still awaiting official announcement from government and military units.

Ernesto Torres Jr., executive director of NTF-ELCAC, noted that there were 89 active NPA guerrilla fronts in the 1980s.

Año stressed the need to prevent recruitment of new members even after neutralizing all guerilla fronts.

He also encouraged media cooperation in peace and development efforts while denying allegations of red-tagging or identifying people as Communist Party of the Philippines - NPA members.

The National Security Council (NSC) denied similar accusations in May regarding pamphlets distributed by Kabataan and ACT Teachers party-lists.