The strength of the New People’s Army (NPA) is continuously dwindling following the series of operations and surrender of its fighters for the past few months, a top military official said Saturday.

General Victor Ibrado, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), attributed the decreasing number of communist rebels in the countryside to the continuous military operations that even led to the arrest of some NPA leaders.

“I would say that as far as we are concerned, insurgency is heavily going down,” said Ibrado.

Earlier, chief military information officer Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner said that the latest count on the NPA strength based on military intelligence is that it is already a little over 3,000.

The figure posted a significant reduction compared in the 1980s when the strength of the communist rebels had reached its peak of more than 20,000 armed fighters.

The military has been trying to reduce the number of communist rebels in the countryside before President Arroyo’s term ends in June next year.

While the effort to end the insurgency problem is slow on pace, Ibrado said what is important is that their operations have been continuous and that they yielded positive results. “Kahit na ahan-dahan tuloy-tuloy... but they are heavily decreasing,” said Ibrado.

The official also dismissed rumors that the NPA is gaining strength what with the series of atrocities it allegedly committed, the recent was the raid on a military detachment in Compostela Valley province where an Army sergeant was abducted. “If you are the insurgent, you would like to show that you are still there, you are still alive, still a force to reckon with. That is a normal reaction,” said Ibrado.