Fifty members of the people’s militia finished the basic political-military course in a guerrilla zone in Samar last April. They comprised the majority of the 82 trainees. The other 32 are regular Red fighters.

The militia members who underwent the 7-day training are re­sidents of five barrios. They had six instructors. The training was safely conducted through joint efforts by the instructors and trainees, as well as the nearby Kabataang Maka­ba­yan chapter.

During the course of the training, many trainees were seen to have potential to become military cadres. The people’s determination to wage the people’s war was apparent in the large number of militia participants. Some of them, however, exhibited weaknesses in performing training drills and following regulations.

The instructors worked in close coordination with each other. As in all courses, they were able to iron out glitches by conducting daily assessments while preparing lessons for the next day. The Giving out unified commands during exercises and trainings was one of these areas.

The training is part of the efforts of the regional operational command of the New People’s Army to raise the capacity of full-time and part-time Red fighters in war. This is part of the preparations for launching more tactical offensives in response to the Duterte regime’s intensified counterrevolutionary war.