SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique -- The Antique Provincial Police Office (APPO) is urging members of the New People’s Army (NPA) to avail of the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) being offered by government.
APPO Deputy Director for Operations Supt. Norby Escobar, in an interview Thursday, said through the E-CLIP, NPA rebels would be provided with financial assistance, which is twice the amount of the value of their surrendered firearms, to start their livelihood.
They will also be sheltered in a half-way home where they could temporarily reside.
“We encourage the members of the NPAs whom we know are already tired and sick of their armed struggle,” he said.
He said that the NPA Southern Front Committee is still operating in Antique.
Escobar added that the province is still under full alert status because of the encounter between government forces and rebels in Barangay Atabay, San Jose de Buenavista on Aug. 15, where seven rebels were killed.
“We are still on full alert status because of the tendency of the NPAs to harbor a grudge,” he said.
For the police, it was nothing personal when they conducted the operation, Escobar said, adding that it was just a mere performance of their duties for the sake of small Antiqueño businessmen being extorted of purported revolutionary tax.
Escobar said despite this, the Philippine government is still calling on them to surrender and lay down their arms in exchange for lasting peace. (PNA)
