ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Remaining members of the New People’s Army (NPA) should come down from the mountains surrender and enjoy the benefits given by the government through the Enhanced Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).
Maj. Gen. Roberto Ancan, Army’s 1st Infantry Division commander, made the call Wednesday following the surrender of two NPA rebels in Iligan City on Monday.
“We encourage other NPA members to surrender with their firearms, return to the folds of the law and benefit the Enhanced Local Integration Program of the government,” said Ancan, who is also the Joint Task Force Zampelan (Zamboanga Peninsula and Lanao Provinces) commander.
The two NPA rebels turned over two Grand rifles to the Army’s 51st and 5th Infantry Battalions around 11 a.m. in Barangay Rogongon, Iligan City.
Lt. Col. Jasper Edward Obar, commander of the 51st Infantry Battalion, said one of the two NPA surrenderers identified only as a certain Ka Braga bared they were compelled to give up because of the military's “relentless combat operation”.
Obar said Braga also talked about the scarcity of food in the mountains, forcing rebels to eat only once a day.
The surrender of the two has brought to 29 the number of NPA rebels that have surrendered since January this year to the Army’s 51st Infantry Battalion.
Brig. Gen. Ezra James Enriquez, the Army’s 2nd Mechanized Infantry Brigade commander, said the influx of NPA surrenders in Iligan City is a testament of "their desire to unite and live peacefully with their families".
“We expect that more NPA rebels will return to the folds of the law in the coming days as our troops on the ground received a lot of surrender feelers,” Enriquez said, as urged the NPA leadership “in our area of operation to engage us through localized peace talks" to address their issues and problems peacefully. (PNA)
