The regional command of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Eastern Visayas today congratulated the NPA in Northern Samar for their recent successful ambush against elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), as revolutionary forces in the province overcome a massive, several-month long military campaign by fascist state troops.

Ka Karlos Manuel, spokesperson for the Efren Martires Command, called the NPA offensive in Mapanas town yesterday a “timely victory of the people’s army and the masses now resounding through the sustained military operations” that has mobilized hundreds of troops of the Philippine Army and aims to impose martial rule in 229 barangays in the province.

He said that the recent ambuscade, wounding at least seven fascist troops in Barangay Magsaysay, is one of many efforts by the NPA-Rodante Urtal Command (RUC) to heed the peasant masses’ call for justice against the fascist troops under the 803rd Infantry Brigade who have been destroying their lives and livelihood through the military occupation of their communities and intensified surrender campaign against civilians.

Manuel cited several prominent military actions by the NPA-RUC since the 803rd IBde began last March 31 their “last quarter campaign” in the province:

• four military engagements in Las Navas from June 3 to 22, where state troops suffered at least 14 casualties;
• special operation in Barangay San Francisco, Las Navas last May 10 which killed the commanding officer of the RCSP troops;
• ambush in Barangay San Miguel, Las Navas last April 3, where three police troops were killed and four were wounded; and,
• ambush in Barangay Lakandula, Las Navas last April 2, where two troops of the newly-deployed 3rd IB were killed.

In all these engagements, the NPA-RUC suffered no casualties.

Finally, Manuel said that the offensive serves as “an exclamation point to the triumphant effort of the NPA in the region to frustrate the puppet regime’s deadline of crushing the people’s army in the region by the end of Rodrigo Duterte’s term and to outlast the fascist-terrorist tyrant.”

The NPA-EMC commanded all units of the NPA in Northern Samar to continue uniting with the masses and militantly resisting the all-out insurgency campaign in the province.

All units of the NPA in the region are also commanded to wage tactical offensives to spread out the enemy’s forces, and to contribute to the national effort to launch all forms of protest actions especially in the weeks building up to the first State of the Nation Address of the illegitimate US-Bongbong Marcos regime, the NPA-EMC added.