Manila, April 10 -- The town of Pinabacdao in Samar, known in the past as a hotbed of insurgents, has been declared completely free from the influence of the New People's Army (NPA), an army official said Thursday.

For three years now, the military has not recorded any NPA-related violence in the town, paving the way for achieving the stable internal peace and security conditions (SIPC), Brig. Gen. Noel Vestuir, commander of the Philippine Army's 802nd Infantry Brigade, said.

The number of active rebels from the town dropped to three this year from 11 in 2023 after the surrender of eight rebels to the government due to localized peace engagement activities headed by the Local Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

"The decla...