CAUAYAN – The 303 rd Infantry Brigade aims to dismantle this year four New People's Army guerilla fronts in Negros island with about 300 members, almost half of them red fighters, the military said yesterday.

Col. Honorato de los Reyes, 303 rd Infantry Brigade commander, said they want to accomplish this without bloodshed, but through reconciliation and winning the hearts and minds as much as possible.

De los Reyes spoke yesterday at the 21 st founding anniversary celebration of the 61 st Infantry “Hunter” Battalion.

The anti-insurgency campaign of the 303 rd Infantry Brigade this year is expected to be complimented by the arrival of the 15 th Infantry Battalion next month in Negros Island from Panay , and the activation of four CAFGU companies, which is equivalent to an infantry battalion unit.

The 15 th IB headed by Lt. Col. Henry Dar is now back in Region 6 for re-training at Camp Macario Peralta in Jamindan, Capiz, after four months of deployment in Jolo, Sulu.

Three other guerilla fronts and one in Bohol have also been targeted for dismantling by the 3 rd Infantry Division military units in Panay and Bohol, to comply with the timetable set by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to end the insurgency problem in 2010.

CPP spokesperson Gregorio Rosal, however, laughed off the claims of AFP chief of staff Hermogenes Esperon that the military has dismantled 13 guerilla fronts nationwide, and is targeting 30 more this year.

Claiming that not a single guerilla front has been dismantled, Rosal challenged Esperon to identify the areas where supposed NPA guerilla fronts have been wiped out so that the people can judge his claims independently.

De los Reyes said the dismantling of the four NPA guerilla fronts is achievable if they have the “right resources”, citing the active participation of local government units and line agencies, as well as the community, in the delivery of basic social services in the countryside.

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

The expected arrival of 15 th IB soldiers tentatively scheduled in the middle of February was slammed by militant groups who claimed they will worsen human rights violations by government forces.

De los Reyes said they have been emphasizing to their troops that they must respect the human rights of every individual.

Maj. Gen. Jovenal Narcise, 3 rd ID commanding general, ordered military commanders to increase their operational tempo in the campaign against the New People's Army. He, however, stressed the importance of self-discipline and strict observance of the human rights by soldiers, which he said is paramount in winning the hearts and minds of the masses.

Lt. Col. Romeo Basco, 61 st IB commander, said his unit is confronting three guerilla fronts in southern Negros alone.*GPB

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