DENOUNCED. Residents of remote villages in Calatrava, Negros Occidental burn the flags of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army and the National Democratic Front during a peace rally held at the town's Bantayanon Evacuation Center on July 10, 2022. The Army said the villagers denounced the atrocities of the communist-terrorist group after attending a two-day awareness seminar organized by the Philippine Army over the weekend.(Photo courtesy of 79th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army) BACOLOD CITY - Residents of remote villages in Calatrava, Negros Occidental have denounced the atrocities of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) during a peace rally held at the town's Bantayanon Evacuation Center. In a report on Tuesday, the Philippine Army said the rally on July 10 capped the participation of the villagers in the two-day awareness seminar on the recruitment strategies and other unlawful activities of the communist-terrorist group in northern Negros. "I highly appreciate the cooperation of the participants from Barangays Minapasuk, Marcelo, Winaswasan and Hilub-ang in making the seminar successful," said Lt. Col. J-jay Javines, commanding officer of the 79th Infantry Battalion (IB), in a statement. He added that empowering the communities is vital in preventing the resurgence of the dismantled rebel front and for the realization of lasting peace and development in northern Negros. During the seminar attended by about 120 individuals, the participants were clustered for role-playing scenarios to address community issues in the hinterlands, particularly the insurgency problem. As an output, the villagers conducted a peace rally, where they carried the placards they made to call for an end to the killings, harassment, deception, and extortion activities of the CPP-NPA. According to the 79IB, the villagers expressed the desire for a peaceful and NPA-free community and conducted a symbolic burning of the flags of the CPP-NPA and its political wing, the National Democratic Front (NDF). This is to show their withdrawal of support to the communist movement and the affirmation of their full allegiance to the Philippine government, it added. In a statement, Calatrava Mayor Marilyn Era urged her constituents to stop supporting the CPP-NPA to obtain peace for their communities and lead peaceful lives. Troops of the 79IB figured in a clash with NPA rebels in Sitio Minatay, Barangay Marcelo on July 6, which led to the capture of Isabel Necesario, the deputy secretary of the NPA's dismantled Northern Negros Front. On June 22, they also engaged the rebels and raided their hideout in Sitio Tinibyangan, Barangay Minapasuk. In 2019, troops neutralized three NPA guerrillas and seized eight high-powered firearms and several grenades also in Barangay Marcelo. The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. The NDF has also been formally designated as a terrorist organization by the Anti-Terrorism Council on June 23, 2021, citing it as "an integral and inseparable part" of the CPP-NPA created in April 1973. (PNA) }