The Army's 302 nd Infantry Brigade is expected to arrive in Negros next week, with two other infantry battalions from Panay and Bohol , Maj. Nathaniel Villasor, 303 rd Infantry Brigade Civil Military Operations chief, said yesterday.

Both the 302 nd Infantry Brigade and the 79 th Infantry Battalion presently stationed in Bohol, will be deployed in southern Negros .

Meanwhile, the 15 th Infantry Battalion at Camp Macario Peralta in Jamindan, Capiz, is also joining the two military units from Bohol to Negros .

The three infantry units are composed of about 1,000 enlisted men and officers.

The arrival of 15 th and 79 IBs will bring to four the number of Army infantry battalions stationed in Negros , and will be placed under the supervision of the 302 nd and 303 rd Infantry Brigades.

Villasor said the transfer of the two brigades to Negros was made after they had dismantled the lone NPA guerilla front in Bohol, whose members fled to southern Negros and re-organized the disbanded Komiteng Rehiyonal-Sentral Bisayas.

Military records also showed that the KR-Sentral Bisayas also comprises of cadres and red fighters who also fled Cebu and even Leyte , had joined forces with the southeastern Negros-based insurgents.

Col. Honorato Flores, 303 rd IB commander, said their target is to dismantle the four NPA guerilla fronts in Negros island until 2010.

Almost half of the guerilla fronts in Western and Central Visayas are located in Negros , which the military admitted to be a priority area for clearing of insurgents in the two regions.

CPP spokesman Gregorio Rosal recently belittled the claims of Gen. Hermogenes Esperon that he would dismantle 17 NPA guerilla fronts within the three-month extension of his stint as AFP chief of staff.

Esperon is supposed to retire Feb. 9 this year when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 56 but his tour of duty was extended by President Arroyo to May 9.

Rosal said the NPA is gearing up to intensify its tactical offensives in the coming months. He also said the CPP leadership has directed the NPA to carry out raids and ambuscades especially where the enemy forces are weak, including in guerrilla fronts that the AFP chief keeps boasting as having been dismantled.

De los Reyes said they want to accomplish their target without bloodshed, and only but through reconciliation and winning the hearts and minds as much as possible.

But he said, “We cannot totally eradicate or solve the insurgency problem without the support of LGUs and the government line agencies as well”, he said.

Lt. Col. Romeo Basco, 61 st IB commander, said they are gaining ground in the Balik-Baril program as they have facilitated the surrender of eight rebels who endorsed to them 16 high-powered firearms since last year.*GPB

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