PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur -- A young New People’s Army (NPA) member has surrendered to military authorities in Misamis Occidental, officials said Tuesday.
Lt. Col. John Andrada, the Army’s 10th Infantry Battalion commander, identified the NPA surrenderer only as Ka Jessie, who turned himself in on Monday in Oroquieta City.
Andrada said Ka Jessie, 18, decided to surrender as he was "fed up" with the illegal activities of the NPA -- the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
Ka Jessie's identity has been withheld for security reasons.
Col. Bagnus Gaerlan, the Army’s 102nd Infantry Brigade commander, said Ka Jessie surrendered a day after an NPA medic turned himself in to the 53rd Infantry Battalion in Guipos, Zamboanga del Sur for exhaustion and hunger.
Gaerlan said that so far 71 NPA rebels have surrendered in his area of operations since last year.
“We will expect more NPAs to surrender with the advent of Enhance Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) of the government that gives benefits not only for themselves but also for their families,” Gaerlan said.
Maj. Gen. Roseller Murillo, the Army's 1st Infantry Division and Joint Task Force Zampelan (Zamboanga Peninsula and Lanao Provinces) commander, commended the efforts of the troops for the successful surrender of the NPA teenager.
“The youth is the hope of our future. The local populace, stakeholders and concerned agencies should be wary of the NPA’s propaganda and recruitment of our youth,” Murillo added. (PNA)
