PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur – A total of 16 New People’s Army (NPA) members, including four women combatants and two child warriors, surrendered to government authorities in the municipality of Guipos, a military official said Thursday.
Lt. Col. Marlowe Patria, Army’s 53rd Infantry Battalion commander, said the 16 NPA members surrendered on Wednesday afternoon in their headquarters in Camp Major David Sabido in Guipos town.
Patria said the rebels revealed that hardships in life in the mountains and the loss of confidence in their cause prompted them to surrender.
Patria added that the surrenderers also wished to live normal and peaceful lives together with their respective families.
One of the female combatants, identified only as Ka Cel, said she stopped studying when she was recruited while in her first year in college.
“I regretted much that I became a member of the NPA. To be honest, I found no sense staying with the group in the jungle. I saw no meaning, no direction, and no hope. I should have pursued my studies in college,” she said.
Patria said the 16 NPA surrenderers will be enrolled in the government's livelihood program for rebel returnees.
He said they will also be included in the livelihood and skills training being managed by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and other government agencies.
Meanwhile, five other rebels, including a female combatant who surrendered last month, received on Wednesday PHP65,000 cash assistance each from the government, Patria said. (PNA)
