Philippine President Duterte declares unilateral ceasefire with NPA due to coronavirus

(March 20) The Philippines are backing away from their long lasting war against the communist New People's Army (NPA) this week due to concerns about the war's effect on the spread of the coronavirus.

Philippine President orders a unilateral ceasefire

Rodrigo Duterte the Philippine President ordered both police and military to cease all offensive against the New People's Army beginning on Thursday March 19 and lasting through April15. He urged the NPA to respond in kind. The NPA a Maoist group founded in March of 1969 has been trying to overthrow the Philippine government by armed struggle as well as political means for generations now. It controls some areas of the countryside.

Philiippine Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano told the national police to shift to a defensive posture. He also urged the NPA to respond by declaring a ceasefire also. Ano said: “We call on them to be a part of the solution in fighting our common enemy, the coronavirus."

Peace efforts so far have failed

There have been several periods in which there have been peace talks. In 2016 there was an effort by the Netherlands to get peace talks going. Each side accused the other of being responsible for the breakdown of the talks. The Duterte ceasefire might perhaps provide some impetus to restart talks. Even if peace talks are not restarted at least the spread of the coronavirus may be slowed and fewer Filipinos will be casualties either of the war or the virus.

Though Duterte has often criticized the rebels he has also often given signs that he would be willing to resume negotiations with them. The Philippine military has estimated the group's fighters to number less that 5,000 nationwide. However, the NPA is the armed wing of the Philippine Communist Party and through various front groups has considerable political influence in some areas.

The coronavirus in the Philippines

In total there are 217 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the Philippines. The north is under quarantine to try and prevent the virus from spreading beyond that area. Manila the capital is at present closed to land sea and air travel.

The Philippines has 217 confirmed cases of coronavirus, and has quarantined the country’s north to try to prevent it spreading beyond that area. Manila is currently closed to land, sea, and air travel.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Truce between Maoist rebels and Philippine government ended early

The Philippine government and the Communist Party of the Philippines blame each other for calling off a truce almost two weeks before the scheduled end. This development threatens ongoing peace talks between the Maoist rebels and the government.

The original truce was scheduled to run from December 20th to January 15. However, the CPP called the truce off on January 2nd saying it believed the government wanted the truce to last only until then. A spokesperson for Philippine president Benigno Aquino III said that the Communist Party together with its armed wing the New People's Army (NPA) just wanted an excuse to end the ceasefire early. The CPP statement said:

"The [communist New People's Army (NPA)] and the people's militias should immediately assume an offensive posture and confront and frustrate the enemy campaigns of suppression."

. A spokesperson for Aquino, however, said that the government would continue to observe the ceasefire until January 15. He also claimed that the rebels found an extended ceasefire to be detrimental to them and so ended it early and blamed the government. The two sides had agreed to the peace talks in mid-December. These were the first high-level peace talks in over a year. A military spokesperson in the southern Philippines claims that the NPA had already violated the ceasefire when they mounted an attack on the outskirts of Davao and briefly held two government troops and three civilians. However, no one was injured apparently and those held were released. Peace talks between the groups have often broken down. In November 2011, the CPP pulled out of the talks when the government refused to free jailed comrades who the CPP claimed were actually meant to be consultants in the negotiations. The NPA has been waging armed struggle in the Philippines since 1969. In the 1980's the rebels were much stronger and there were an estimated 26,000 fighters but now the current strength has dwindled to about 4,000 fighters. Although the CPP is outlawed in the Philippines and the NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the US, there are a number of legal leftist groups that even elect members to the Philippine legislature and also operate as NGO's. Most of the NPA operations and support for the movement are in rural areas often neglected by the government. The appended video is several years old.

U.S. marine presence in Philippines to increase

An article in a U.S. marines publication notes that more marines will be visiting the Philippines. At present the U.S. is involved in Joint Special Operations Task Force--Philippines. The paper describes this as a clandestine unit although it is hardly a secret that they are there!

The units work with the Philippine Armed Forces training them in counter-terrorism against Islamic militants mostly in Mindanao but also against the NPA Maoist rebels who have been operating in various rural parts of the Philippines for decades. They also carry out joint humanitarian operations.

However operations are to be expanded with more troops, aircraft, and ships visiting say U.S. and Philippines officials. U.S. General Joseph Dunford said that in coming years hundreds of marines will deploy to the islands as Obama emphasizes a focus on Asia.

Neither the American nor Philippine government have given much detail about the deployments. There are no U.S. permanent bases any longer.as the government demanded closure of the Subic Bay base in 1992.

Some groups in the Philippines are opposed to the U.S. military presence. There have been several incidents where U.S. soldiers have been charged with rape. The accused are taken into U.S. custody under the status of forces agreement. Some want changes to the agreement.

However the Philippine foreign affairs secretary said to Reuters:“We would like the Americans to come more often,. “Let’s have these joint training exercises more frequently and on a bigger scale — as many times as we can, in different places if we can.” A joint exercise called Balikatan runs from April 16--27 every year. This year will see disaster-relief training in Palawan and Luzon. About 4,500 U.S. and 2,300 Filipino soldiers will take part.

The Philippine government wants the U.S. on side to press for the Philippine claim to the Spratly Islands that are also claimed by China. There are undersea oil resources in the region.

China sees the renewed U.S. activity in south-east Asia as a provocation. One can imagine if China carried on similar activity in Cuba. For more see the full article. The U.S. will.also send more troops to Australia as well.

Philippines: U.S. to increase military presence

Almost two decades ago the Philippine government closed U.S. military bases in the country. However in 1999 an agreement allowed hundreds of U.S. troops to return to train Philippine soldiers to fight Islamic militants and Maoist insurgents.
  There are about 600 U.S. Special Forces in the Philippines mostly used to help target a militant Islamic group said to be linked to Al Qaeda. The former government of Gloria Arroyo was cited in leaked Wikileaks cables for extrajudicial killings and false arrests. The U.S. is to provide over 163 million in aid in 2012.
  The U.S. government is talking to the new Philippine government about establishing a larger military presence in the Philippines. These actions are all part of U.S. plans to extend its military power further into the area to counter Chinese influence. The U.S. is also expanding its military presence in Australia and Singapore with troops and bases. For more see this article. 

Philippines: Maoist rebels killed about 100 troops last year

  The figure includes not only troops but police as well. The insurgency by the New People's Army has been ongoing for 43 years now. According to the military report there were 447 attacks by the group in 2011.
    The NPA often taxes businesses in areas where it operates. Since these are not government taxes the military report simply classifies them as extortion. When businesses do not pay or fail to meet other demands they are often attacked. There were 31 attacks on mining enterprises, and other businesses last year.
    According to the report not only attacks have declined over the last year but so also have the number of fighters. The report says attacks were eleven per cent less than in 2010 and the number of fighters declined 7.8 per cent to 4,043. That the military could present such exact figures is amazing. Do the rebel fighters register each year so they can be counted by the military?
    The military spokesperson Col. Burgos said that the insurgency was losing support among the people because of the popularity of the new president Benigno Aquino III. However the former president was herself first brought into power by people power but over time became corrupt and disliked. Aquino is part of the Philippine ruling elite and it remains to be seen how his presidency develops over time.
    The president has been having peace talks with the rebels but they have not been successful so far. As well as the NPA insurgency the Philippines faces insurgency from a number of Muslim separatist groups in the south of the country. The NPA also has a number of related legal political groups associated with it. The number of attacks may be decreasing as a result of a shift towards political action. After 43 years one suspects that in some areas the NPA and the Philippine military have come to a kind of live and let live understanding in some areas. For more see this article.
   NOTE: The NPA is the armed wing of the Philippine Communist Party which is banned in the Philippines. The NPA and the party are listed by the US as a terrorist organization. This causes problems for peace negotiations. The leader of the party lives in Holland. For more about the NPA see this article.  For more about the Communist Party of the Philippines see here.

Philippines: Are Abu Sayyaf and MILF joining forces?

Probably the answer is no. However there are elements in the MILF who obviously sympathise with the Abu Sayyaf. They are so disenchanted with the peace process that they have gone back to armed struggle. It is surprising that so far the MILF has managed to avoid the tag of terrorist. The NPA Maoist insurgents however have been put on the terror list by the US and this causes difficulty with negotiations.
In this action it seem probable that rogue elements in the MILF warned the Abu Sayyaf what was coming and as a result there were a lot more casualties in the AFP than otherwise would have happened. Abu Sayyaf has been around for decades and the NPA even longer. Arroyo has always been poised to eliminate them!


from the August 17, 2009 edition -
Philippines: Are two militant groups joining forces?
Philippines government alleges MILF involvement in a firefight last week with members of the militant Abu Sayyaf, calling into question a cease-fire with the rebel group.
By Jonathan Adams
The Philippines government has stepped up calls to eliminate Abu Sayyaf after clashes last week with the home-grown militant group killed 23 government soldiers and wounded 25 more.
The violence has also cast doubt on the durability of a recent cease-fire between the government and insurgents from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), since members of the latter are suspected to have reinforced Abu Sayyaf.
On Saturday, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo called for the "annihilation" of Abu Sayyaf on the island of Basilan (click here for a map of the region), where the clashes took place, according to the Inquirer, a Philippines daily.
The Philippine Star added that the government would conduct a probe of the day-long firefight on Basilan.
The probe will look into the alleged participation of a number of Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighters to reinforce the Abu Sayyaf Group.
If the MILF militiamen indeed had engaged the soldiers, this could be a serious violation of the agreement of cessation of hostilities between the military and the MILF to give way to the resumption of their peace talks.
Razon stressed that the MILF leadership has already expressed willingness to help in the investigation to the incident.
The Associated Press (AP) reported that 400 government troops engaged about 150 Abu Sayyaf militants at one of their main camps last Wednesday. A unit of marine reinforcements took heavy casualties when it encountered a group of fleeing militants, according to a commander quoted by the AP.
The AP said that a MILF spokesman had confirmed that 10 MILF members were among the dead. But the spokesman said "they were not with the Abu Sayyaf and only happened to be in the area when the fighting erupted."
The incident underscores the sometimes blurry lines between the insurgent group and Abu Sayyaf.
The Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf is considered a terrorist organization by the Philippines, the US, and other governments. It's the main target of counterterror operations assisted by a few hundred US soldiers and advisers.
The MILF has been struggling for decades for greater autonomy and self-determination for Muslims in the southern Philippines. In recent years they've engaged in on-and-off peace talks with the government. The US does not consider the MILF a terrorist group.
The MILF officially denies links to terror groups and flatly denies engaging in terrorist attacks on civilians. But the International Crisis Group has detailed links between radical MILF elements, Abu Sayyaf, and the Indonesia-based terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah.
In an editorial Monday, the Inquirer noted that the Philippines military had notified the MILF of its plan to attack the Abu Sayyaf base – a precaution taken to avoid an inadvertent clash with MILF forces. It suggested that the MILF tipped off the Abu Sayyaf to the raid, and then joined in on Abu Sayyaf's side.
We have reason to believe that the Abu Sayyaf's reinforcements did not consist only of the bandits' relatives and neighbors coming to their rescue, but also of MILF regulars—some of whom, indeed, may have been relatives or neighbors of the bandits themselves.
[Chief of the Western Mindanao Command, Maj. Gen. Ben] Dolorfino explained why at least 10 MILF men ... had been slain: "There is no such thing as part-time [Abu Sayyaf,] part-time MILF."
Dolorfino did not say those words as an act of bravado ... We see them, in fact, as a direct question to the MILF: If you want peace, why didn't you prevent the ambush?

Maoist rebels ask Philippines to stop offensive.

This is from Reuters.

As long as the NPA and Communist Party of the Philippines remains on terror lists it may be difficult for negotiations to take place. They have been stalled for years. There seems no sign that the rebels are being stamped out. If the economy in the countryside deteriorates further they stand to gain even more territory and influence. They are in effect a parallel govt. and justice system in many areas and have influence over a much wider area.

There are legal front organisations as well that have members in the government. My wife owns property in an NPA influenced area. It does not improve property values!!




Maoist rebels ask Philippines to stop offensive
Mon Nov 17, 2008 2:03pm IST
MANILA (Reuters) - Communist guerrillas in the Philippines demanded on Monday that the military halts an offensive in a mining area in the south in exchange for talks on freeing a captured lieutenant, but the army rejected the call.
"The safe and orderly release of Lieutenant Vicente Camayo can only be achieved through negotiations and on condition that the military operations in the area are stopped," the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) said in a statement.
Camayo, commander of a special forces company, was captured after communist New People's Army (NPA) guerrillas attacked an army base near Monkayo, a mining town on the southern island of Mindanao on Nov. 7.
The rebels said the army should "cease military operations in Monkayo" because it would endanger the lieutenant's life and deter negotiations for his possible release. They also assured his family that the soldier was getting humane treatment.
"We will never negotiate with terrorists," Lieutenant-Colonel Ernesto Torres, an army spokesman, told reporters, adding troops in the area were ordered to continue efforts to free the captive army officer.
Torres said the rebels were using the captive officer as a propaganda tool as well as a bargaining chip to force Manila to resume peace talks with the communist National Democratic Front in Norway. Talks have been stalled since August 2005.
The rebels refused to return to peace negotiations unless the Philippines helped remove the communist movement and its leader, Jose Maria Sison, from terrorist blacklists in the United States, several Western European states and Australia.
The communist conflict, which started in the late 1960s, has killed more than 40,000 people and scared off investors from the resource-rich Philippines.
The 5,000-member NPA targets mines, plantations, timber, construction and telephone companies to raise funds and disrupt the economy.
Over the last nine months, fighting between the government and the NPA rebels has been escalating in the Compostela Valley, a mining province on Mindanao, where Monkayo is located.
The area has become a centre of communist rebel activities due to the huge amount of money generated from extortion, said Torres, adding violence has been on the rise in the area where mainly small miners operate.
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Philippines, rebels talk to defuse rising violence

These talks seem to go on interminably. As the article notes some field commanders are growing impatient. There are also other rebel groups that are not part of the talks. Talks with the NPA seem to have broken down some time ago. The U.S. may indirectly play a part in the lack of success in negotiations certainly this is so with respect to the NPA which is listed as a terrorist group by the U.S. and so it frowns on negotiations with them. No doubt those revoloutionaries who fought for U.S. independence from Britain would be terrorists according to the present U.S. definition. Apparently however the U.S. has accepted the Maoist victory in Nepal elections. I guess Nepal does not have any oil!


Philippines, rebels talk to defuse rising violence
Wed 9 Jul 2008, 9:26 GMT
MANILA, July 9 (Reuters) - Philippine troops held talks with Muslim secessionist rebels in an emergency meeting on Wednesday in an attempt to defuse rising tensions that could further derail negotiations to end nearly 40 years of conflict, both sides said.
Since May, when Malaysian peace monitors started pulling out, the two sides have been accusing each other of violating a five-old ceasefire, putting at risk talks to set up a homeland for 3 million Muslims.
"We were called by the Malaysians to an informal meeting to cool down tensions," a member of the truce panel of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) told Reuters, adding the peace monitors were worried about rising violence.
This was the first time the Malaysian-led monitoring team has called the two sides for talks to discuss the actual situation on the ground and prevent skirmishes from escalating to a full blown conflict.
On Tuesday night, military chief General Alexander Yano said there had ben a spike in the number of violent incidents on the troubled southern island of Mindanao, where the MILF operates. He said 40 skirmishes were recorded from May 1 to June 30.
When the ceasefire agreement was re-imposed in July 2003, the number of violent incidents involving the two sides went down to almost zero in 2007 from a high of nearly 1,000 incidents in early 2003.
Last month, MILF rebels launched simultaneous attacks on army detachments in three provinces on Mindanao, toppling steel towers holding high-voltage power lines and harassing farmers harvesting rice.
But, the rebels avoided actual confrontation with troops, immediately pulling back after firing at army convoy or at small army outpost.
Mohaqher Iqbal, chief rebel negotiator, said the MILF leadership was committed to the peace talks and did not authorise the actions of some field commanders who were getting impatient due to delays in the peace talks.
Iqbal said they have also filed a complaint against the deployment of troops near MILF bases, describing the moves as "a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement".
The two sides have been talking for 11 years to end a Muslim rebellion that has killed more than 120,000 people and displaced 2 million since the late 1960s.
Talks brokered by Malaysia from March 2001 have been stalled for eight months over constitutional issues, but the two sides are optimistic negotiations would be held late this month in Kuala Lumpur to seal a deal on creating a Muslim homeland. (Reporting by Manny Mogato; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and David Fox)
© Reuters 2008. All Rights Reserved.

Southern Philippines calls for Muslim rebel talks

This is from the Bangkok Post.
I wonder if part of the reluctance to negotiate is not influenced by the U.S. view that there should be no negotiation with terrorists. Not only are these peace talks in limbo but also earlier talks with the NPA Maoist guerrillas have broken down. The NPA is listed as a terrorist group by the U.S. Arroyo claims she is going to rid the Philippines of the insurgency but with economic conditions turning sour especially in rural areas that is quite unlikely.


Southern Philippines calls for Muslim rebel talks

Manila (dpa) - More than 100,000 people gathered on Saturday in key cities in the southern Philippines, calling for the resumption of the stalled peace negotiations between the government and Muslim rebels.
Amirah Ali Lidasan, one of the organizers of the rallies, said people gathered in the cities of Marawi, Iligan, Cotabato, General Santos and Basilan to urge President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to resume talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
"We challenge President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to be sincere in the peace negotiations," she said.
The call for the resumption of peace talks came amid escalating clashes between government troops and the MILF rebels.
Earlier in the week, two people were killed, three were wounded and more than a thousand fled their homes in at least three clashes between soldiers and MILF.
Eid Kabalu, MILF civil military affairs chief, said rebel commanders were getting impatient over the continued delay in the negotiations and have expressed doubt on the sincerity of the government to achieve peace in Mindanao.
Peace talks between the MILF and the government have been stalled since December 2007 over disagreements on the scope of territory to be included in a proposed Muslim homeland.

Philippines: NPA kills three AFP troops in Mindanao

This is from Earthtimes. This is the typical hit and run tactics that the New People's Army uses. The NPA is present in Mindanao along with several rebel independentist Muslim groups as well. The NPA will soon celebrate a half century of operation, and before them there was the HUK rebellion.


Three soldiers killed in clash in southern Philippines
Davao City, Philippines - Three soldiers were killed Saturday and six more were wounded in a clash with communist rebels in the southern Philippines, a regional army spokesman said. Major Patrick Cinco said the fighting erupted when an undetermined number of communist guerrillas attacked an army encampment on the outskirts of Davao City, 990 kilometres south of Manila.

Cinco said there were no reported casualties on the guerrillas' side but more troops have been dispatched to the area to conduct pursuit operations.

Communist rebels have been fighting the Philippine government since the late 1960s, making the movement one of the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia.

Philippine Communist Party urges increased attacks by New People's Army

This is from the Daily Tribune a leftist Manila based paper. The NPA (New People's Army) is the armed struggle wing of the CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines). Although the party is banned and the leadership in exile there are numerous legal fronts both political and other activist organisations. Offensives against offshoots of the separatist movements MNLF and MILF and the Abu Sayyaf are often used as pretexts to attack the MNFL or MILF according to some. There is obviously a certain amount of co-operation between the Muslim separatists and the NPA which are Maoist. Both the NPA and CPP are listed by the US as terrorist organisations. But heck the US was founded by terrorists who overthrew the Brits!
THe strategy urged in the release seems reasonable for a weak force that must attack only where the opposed forces are themselves weak. The NDP specialises in ambushes and otherwise avoids contact with the AFP when possible.

CPP orders NPA: Intensify attacks in Mindanao



08/20/2007

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) has ordered all guerrilla fronts established by its New People’s Army (NPA) in Mindanao to launch tactical offensives against military camps and detachments in the island region after the deployment of more than 5,000 troops in Basilan and Sulu. (See related story)

In a two-page directive released by the Executive Committee of the Central Committee (EC-CC) of the CPP on Thursday, the leadership of the revolutionary underground said, “The deployment of thousands of troops from other regions to Basilan and Jolo (Sulu’s capital) leaves other Philippine Army units more thinly spread in NPA areas,” which the communist rebels “can take advantage of and launch tactical offensives against weakened and isolated units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).”

The EC-CC stressed the NPA must carry out tactical offensives in areas where it operates alongside the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Noting the demoralization within the ranks of the Marines and the Army, the CPP leadership called on the “NPA and all revolutionary forces to take advantage of the heightened and widespread disenchantment within the AFP by intensifying organizing efforts among the rank-and-file and junior officers of the AFP.”

It claimed widespread disarray and




disenchantment have become more intense within the military as a result of the successive losses suffered by government forces especially in Basilan and Sulu.this past month “where Philippine Army units have been suffering one major defeat after another in armed encounters with the MILF and the MNLF.”

The CPP added the ongoing all-out offensive operations of the AFP in Basilan and Sulu are being directed not so much against the minuscule Abu Sayyaf bandit group, but actually against the MILF and the MNLF.

“The Arroyo regime is carrying out attacks against the Moro people to weaken their resolve in the struggle for self-determination and assertion of their ancestral domain. The regime wishes to take away the victories of the Moro people which they have won through several decades of revolutionary armed struggle,” it said.

The communist group also revealed that a new patriotic movement within the military is now aligned with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, the political umbrella of 14 underground organizations, to pursue the armed and political struggle against the government.

“There is within the AFP a growing democratic and patriotic movement of soldiers who are disgruntled with the leadership of the AFP and the Arroyo regime,” it added.

“The revolutionary forces must directly and indirectly reach out to the rank-and-file and junior officers of the Armed Forces where they can to conscienticize them, enlighten them on the basic problems of the Filipino people,” it said.

THE CPP claimed soldiers “have become more disgusted with the Arroyo government and its top generals in the face of the reckless and all-out offensive being carried out in Basilan and Sulu and the extra-judicial killings, abductions, torture, forced evacuations and food blockades in line with its ‘Oplan Bantay Laya 2.’” Gerry Baldo

Philippine Armed Forces blames for many murders

I am a little surprised at this report. The president Gloria Arroyo is no doubt not at all pleased with it. There have been peace talks with the NPA from time to time but the fact that the US has the NPA on its terror list has not helped negotiations. The New People's Army as the Maoists in Nepal have continued armed struggle long after the demise of Maoism and rise of market capitalism in China-- the so-called socialism with Chinese characteristics aka state steered capitalism with massive corruption but with much growth in production.
I lived in the Philippines with my wife for over a year. She owns property in Gabawan an area frequented by the NPA. The NPA is not good for property values!
They collect revolutionary taxes from those who can pay. There are several parties in the legislature that are regarded as fronts for the NPA. The leader of the Philippine COmmunist Party is in exile in the Netherlands.
The NPA is mostly in rural areas. In some areas the NPA more or less co-exists with the military but in others the commanders are staunch anti-communists who not only engage with the NPA but engage in extra-judicial murder of activists in general.
Journalists are often the target of these murders. After Iraq the Philippines is the most dangerous country in the world for journalists. In spite of this the Philippine press is exceedingly active and uncowed. The press is much more varied and even more combative than in Canada or the US.


Army blamed for hundreds of murders
Photo: AP
AdvertisementCarmel Crimmins in Manila
January 31, 2007

PHILIPPINE soldiers have murdered hundreds of left-wing activists since 2001 and their commanding officers should be held responsible, the head of a government inquiry has said.

Jose Melo, a retired Supreme Court justice, said yesterday that "elements in the military" were behind the fatal shooting of hundreds of left-wing activists, community workers and farmers.

"It's a small group in the military who are doing these things with the tolerance of some commanders, but it is not the policy of the entire armed forces of the Philippines," Mr Melo said.

The President, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, appointed Mr Melo to lead an inquiry into the murders last year after rights groups, including Amnesty International, said the shootings could be linked to some members of the security forces.

Mr Melo recommended that commanding officers face military tribunals for extrajudicial killings in their areas. "They should have known what was happening and they just kept silent," he said.

Dr Arroyo's spokesman said the Government would ensure justice was done if the report had implicated anyone.

The military's chief-of-staff, Lieutenant-General Hermogenes Esperon, told the Melo Commission in September that there was no official policy to kill "suspected enemies of the state".

The military and government has previously blamed communist rebels for the recent surge in killings, saying the New People's Army was purging its ranks, as it had done in the 1980s.

The shootings - often carried out in daylight by masked gunmen on motorbikes - have continued into 2007. Many of the victims were members of organisations the military views as fronts for the group.

The Philippines, also fighting Muslim insurgencies, has been battling the New People's Army since 1969 in a conflict that has killed more than 40,000 people. Dr Arroyo declared an "all out war" on the communist insurgents last year.

Local human rights group Karapatan has said more than 700 leftist activists, farmers, community organisers and journalists have been killed since Dr Arroyo came to power in 2001.

Asked how many of the murders were carried out by soldiers, Mr Melo said: "Most of them".

He told a local newspaper that some of the killings were attributed to politicians and some to the security guards of landlords.

Reuters