1204 Laang Kawal CDC South Cotabato

The 1204th Community Defense Center (CDC), 12th Regional Community Defense Group (12RCDG), Reserve Command, Philippine Army, led by MAJ DENNIE M PAJEL (ARM) PA, Director of 1204CDC, conducted a Coordinating Conference with Hon. Mayor Bernie D. Palencia regarding the proposed Memorandum of Partnership Agreement (MOPA) on 18 May 2026 at Municipal Administration office, Polomolok South Cotabato

The meeting highlighted the strong commitment of both parties to further strengthen cooperation in promoting community development, peace and order, disaster preparedness, and public service initiatives within the Municipality of Polomolok.

Through unity, collaboration, and shared responsibility, this partnership aims to foster a safer, stronger, and more resilient community for the welfare of the people of Polomolok, South Cotabato through the active support and participation of the Reserve Force, AFP.

𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗗𝗔 𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗿𝗺𝘆, 𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗸𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗮 𝘀𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴
𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗸𝗮𝗯𝘂𝗵𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗻 𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗜𝗣

Pormal na nilagdaan ng TESDA Isabela at 502nd Infantry Brigade noong Mayo 5 ang kasunduan para sa libreng skills training at livelihood para sa dating rebelde, indigenous people, kawal, at residente ng malalayong lugar.

Ang skills training ay magbibigay ng kabuhayan at magtaguyod ng pangmatagalang kapayapaan sa pamamagitan ng Whole-of-Nation approach.






https://pia.gov.ph/news/tesda-army-expand-skills-training-livelihood-for-former-rebels-ips/

𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀𝗼𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘆𝗼𝗻
𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝟰𝟲 𝗻𝗮 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗱𝗲

Pinangunahan ng 39th Infantry Battalion ang Friends Rescued Assembly kamakailan sa Magsaysay, North Cotabato.

Dumalo ang 46 dating rebelde at binuo ang kanilang People's Organization na MaRDeFA upang magbigay ng kabuhayan at suporta para sa pangmatagalang kapayapaan..






https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17gYs4YEtT/

To sum all the fuzz out

Sincere ba talaga ang mga protesta’t pag-aarmas na ito bilang “para sa bayan”, o may tunay na agenda ang lahat ng ito?

Ano nga ba talaga ang tinatawag na “Two-Stage Revolution” ng CPP-NPA-NDF?

Mula sa konsepto ng National Democratic Revolution hanggang sa Socialist Construction, makikita ang latag ng pangmatagalang estratehiya ng CPP-NPA-NDF; mula sa pag-oorganisa at pagpapahina sa kasalukuyang sistema, hanggang sa pagtatatag ng isang sosyalistang estado kung saan sentralisado sa Partido ang kapangyarihan.

Hindi lang ito usapin ng protesta o armadong pakikibaka. Mas malaking tanong dito: ano ba talaga ang endgame nitong mga nangyayari? Bakit ba sila nag-eexist?

Siguro kahit yung mga aktibista, dapat alam n’yo rin to, kung di kayo ready maging ‘collateral’ ng rebolusyon, aba e wag nyo na ituloy.

Ano ba 'yan?

𝗡𝗧𝗙-𝗘𝗟𝗖𝗔𝗖: 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗡𝗣𝗔 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁

Recent incidents in Negros Occidental and Samar lay bare a troubling shift in the recruitment practices of the New People’s Army (NPA), marked by the increasing involvement of foreign nationals and minors in active combat—a development that raises serious concerns about the trajectory of the armed movement.

In the April 19, 2026 armed encounter in Toboso, two American nationals—Lyle Prijoles and Kai Dana-Rene Sorem—were among the nineteen (19) NPA combatants killed, as reported by the Negros Police.

Their deaths underscore how individuals from outside the country are now being drawn into local armed hostilities.

Also among those killed in the same encounter- as identified in the PNP investigation and validated by their claimant-relatives--were two minors, Jolinda Jimena (16) and Dexter Patoja (17). Their presence in a combat environment highlights the grave risks faced by young individuals who become involved in armed conflict.

In a separate incident in Samar on April 17, 2026, another minor identified as alias “John Paul” was killed during an armed encounter, as reported by the 8th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army.

This brings to three the number of minors killed in combat within the same period.

Taken together, these cases present a pattern that cannot be dismissed. The involvement of foreign nationals alongside minors points to a widening recruitment scope that extends beyond traditional local bases and into more vulnerable sectors.

The recruitment and use of minors in armed conflict constitute serious violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), as well as Republic Act No. 11188 (Special Protection of Children in Situations of Armed Conflict Act), Republic Act No. 7610, and the Philippines’ obligations under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (OPAC).

Those responsible, particularly elements of the CPP–NPA–NDF, must be made to account for these transgressions of both domestic and international law.

These laws exist to ensure that children are protected from exploitation and exposure to violence.

The presence of foreign nationals in these encounters further indicates that recruitment efforts have expanded beyond Philippine borders, exposing individuals from the diaspora to the dangers of armed confrontation on the ground.

These developments suggest increasing pressure on the movement to sustain its ranks, reflected in a shift toward drawing from sectors that are either geographically distant or inherently vulnerable.

This situation calls for heightened awareness and vigilance among families, communities, school administrations and organizations—both in the Philippines and abroad—to ensure that individuals, particularly the youth, are not placed in circumstances that endanger their lives.

A movement that draws in children and foreign nationals into armed conflict is not demonstrating strength—it is revealing a critical strain that comes at the cost of human lives.

Usec. Ernesto C. Torres Jr.
Executive Director
NTF-ELCAC