NO TO NPAs. Members of the National Alliance for Democracy (NAD) burn a flag of the New People's Army in a peace rally Friday (March 25, 2022) in Buug, Zamboanga Sibugay. Simultaneous peace rallies were held in the provinces of Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Sur condemning the atrocities of the NPA in the region.(Photo courtesy of the 1st Infantry Division) ZAMBOANGA CITY - Simultaneous rallies were held Friday afternoon in the provinces of Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga del Norte denouncing the atrocities of the New People's Army (NPA) in the region. The rallies were aimed to encourage the people to stand up against the NPA, whose group is set to celebrate its 53rd founding anniversary on March 29. Members of the National Freedom for Peace Movement (NAFPEM) together with the 4th Area Cadre Team initiated the conduct of a motorcade and peace rally in Molave, Zamboanga del Sur, to counter the 53rd founding anniversary of the NPA. NAFPEM is a non-government organization that is a peace partner of the government. In Zamboanga Sibugay, the National Alliance for Democracy (NAD) led by Jommy Montealto conducted the condemnation rally preceded by a motorcade in the municipality of Buug. The activity in Buug started with a short program with speakers denouncing the cruelties of the NPA in the region followed by the burning of the NPA flag and placards. Montealto declared they withdraw their support from the NPAs as their group condemned the rebels' atrocities and human rights violations. More than 200 members of NAD joined the rally together with the personnel from the Buug Fire Station, Buug Municipal Police Station, and Buug Sure FM participated in the activity. NAD is a non-government and anti-terrorism group. Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Generoso Ponio, 1st Infantry Division commander, said the eagerness of the different sectors to join the rallies exemplified their unity for peace. "We gathered to denounce the treacherous acts of violence of the communist terrorist group in our area of operation," Ponio said in a statement Saturday. Lt. Gen. Alfredo Rosario, Jr., commander of Western Mindanao Command, said they support the call for peace by sustaining its combat and non-combat operations. "We assure that our anti-insurgency campaign is bolstered to prevent the communist terrorists from settling in our lands and poisoning the minds of the vulnerable groups of society," Rosario said in a separate statement. The Communist Party of the Philippines (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 National Democratic Front has 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) }