Bicol bets urged: Reject Reds’ campaign fees
LIGAO CITY—The Philippine Army’s 9th Infantry Division (9ID) urged candidates in the 2025 elections against giving in to extortion demands from communist rebels, particularly the so-called “permit to win” and “permit to campaign” fees.
Army Major. Gen. Noe Peñafiel, commander of the 9ID based Pili, Camarines Sur, stressed that cooperating with communist rebels undermines the government efforts to dismantle insurgent forces in the Bicol Region.
“We urge all candidates to resist any form of extortion and immediately report such demands to authorities. Paying these groups only prolongs their existence and allows them to continue disrupting our communities,” Peñafiel told the Inquirer in a Viber message on Friday.
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) has issued in mid-January its so-called “guidelines” for those campaigning in areas where it operates, requiring candidates to, among others, to refrain from bringing along armed escorts. But the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police said the presence of the CPP and its military arm, the New People’s Army (NPA), in the countryside has been reduced to a level that they could no longer make any demand.
In the case of Bicol, Peñafiel said the Army has made significant progress in counter-insurgency efforts in 2024, dismantling six key guerrilla units, including the sub-regional unit of the CPP-NPA’s Bicol Regional Party Committee (BRPC).
He said the 9ID has also “neutralized” 831 communist rebels in the region, of whom 25 were killed, four captured, and 39 arrested.
He said among the slain rebels were Reynaldo Hugo, alias “Adel,” acting secretary of the BRPC; and Arnel Estiller, alias “Mando,” secretary of Sub-Regional Committee 3, who was killed in an encounter in Sorsogon.
Another 150 rebels had also voluntarily surrendered, while 613 withdrew their support from the armed struggle, he added.
The military also recovered 288 firearms, including high- and low-powered weapons, as well as 194 anti-personnel mines, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), Molotov cocktails, and other explosives.
“These operations have significantly weakened the presence of the New People’s Army (NPA) and other communist terrorist groups in the region,” Peñafiel said.
