Calming the Long War in the Philippine Countryside

16 “Memorandum Order 32: Reinforcing the Guidelines for the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police in the Implementation of Measures to Suppress and Prevent Lawless Violence”, Office of the President of the Philippines, 22 November 2018. [...] The Battle for the Countryside The Philippine military’s long experience fighting in the countryside has shaped the government’s strategy for defeating the insurgents. [...] In September 2023, for example, the NPA killed five paramilitaries and injured three soldiers in a Quezon province town Calming the Long War in the Philippine Countryside Crisis Group Asia Report N°338, 19 April 2024 Page 11 the military often remains in the driver’s seat.68 “We know who are the poorest of the poor, and what they need, because we are on the ground”, noted a commander.69 In many co. [...] With the previous passing of the Tiamzons, the highly influential couple who had run the group in the Philippines for decades, the CPP is facing what is perhaps the most severe leadership crisis in its history.87 The party says it has filled vacancies on the Central Committee, but the current composition of this commanding organ is unknown.88 The peace negotiating panel, based in Utrecht, is still. [...] Visayas: The Last Bastion Over the last two years, the centre of gravity of the government’s campaign has shifted from Mindanao to the Visayas, a group of islands in the middle of the country, now considered “the last bastion” of the insurgency.120 The government believes that “a few hundred guerrillas” remain scattered across several “weakened” fronts, par- ticularly in the eastern (Samar and Ley.