SECURITY officials described the 57th anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) as a moment of reckoning rather than celebration, citing decades of armed struggle that have left a legacy of violence, displacement and unmet promises. National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said over the weekend that the CPP-New People’s Army (NPA) relied on violence for more than half a century, undermining communities and the country’s democratic processes. “For 57 years, the CPP-NPA’s armed campaign has resulted in loss of lives, displacement, economic disruption and persistent insecurity in our communities,” Año said. “Declarations of temporary ceasefires, paired with calls for armed readiness, merely show insincerity toward genuine public safety and community welfare.” Año, also vice chairman of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac), stressed that while democratic dissent is protected, the use of armed violence to pursue political objectives is not. “Resorting to force undermines lawful political processes and imposes agendas through coercion rather than consent,” he said. NTF-Elcac Executive Director Ernesto Torres Jr. echoed Año, noting that the NPA is no longer a mass movement but a “sunken organization clinging to an outdated ideology.” “Militarily and politically, the NPA is now fragmented and depleted. Its remaining units are isolated, undersupplied and increasingly reduced to extortion, intimidation and punitive violence against civilians,” Torres said. He described the group as “a band of isolated bandits in survival mode.” Torres added that the CPP has shifted its focus to urban areas, targeting universities, urban poor communities and youth groups for ideological recruitment while exploiting tragedies to sustain operations. Legal democratic organizations linked to the CPP also serve as “life support” to maintain relevance and secure funding, he said. The officials highlighted that communities once caught in violence are increasingly rejecting armed groups as peace and development take root. Roads, livelihoods and basic services are being restored, contributing to the CPP-NPA’s loss of mass support. Año said the government’s response now goes beyond security measures. Through the National Action Plan for Unity, Peace and Development, and a whole-of-nation approach, the focus is on governance reforms, social services, infrastructure, reintegration programs and amnesty for qualified former rebels. “We continue to offer a clear, humane pathway back to peaceful civilian life,” Año said. “Ending this conflict requires collective resolve — to deny violence legitimacy and advance solutions that deliver security, accountability and tangible development.” Both officials renewed their call for remaining CPP cadres and NPA fighters to abandon armed struggle and for the public, especially youth, to reject narratives that glorify violence. “After 57 years of bloodshed, the armed struggle has reached its end,” Torres said. “The nation’s task now is peace, healing and development — a struggle the Filipino people have already chosen.”