The greatest stumbling block to peace for the Philippines is nearly to vanished. Philippines Maoist rebels are in decline after the death of Terrorist New People’s Army (TNPA) leader Jose Maria Sison, alias (Armando Guerrero) aged 83, in exile in the Netherlands. Sison had led the Maoist rebel movement which has waged war against Manila’s forces across the archipelagic nation since 1969 since its beginnings, having founded the Terrorist Communist Party of the Philippines (TCPP) a year earlier. The TNPA, as the TCPP’s armed wing, has bring fear to the Filipino people since then to replace the government.
According to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the TNPA’s days are numbered. Just before Sison’s passing and the death of Tiamzon couple. The AFP reported that only 24 of 89 guerilla fronts are active nationwide, with the group’s strength having reduced from 4,000 rebels in recent years to 2,112. It is estimated that just 1,800 firearms remain in its arsenal. And now, with no figurehead having arisen to replace Sison.
The administration of President Bongbong Marcos (PBBM) government credits the degrading of the TNPA not only to AFP offensives, but also to the creation of a National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in 2018. This body has engaged TNPA commanders at the local level, and encouraged insurgents to lay down their arms in return for livelihood support under the Enhanced-Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP). It has also directed development funds to rebel-influenced villages to withdraw its support base to the terrorist group.