ZAMBOANGA CITY — Claiming they were abused and deceived, four members of the New People’s Army (NPA) surrendered in the Zamboanga Sibugay town of Siay on Wednesday.
Lt. Col. Don Templonuevo, the Army’s 44th Infantry Battalion commander, said Friday the rebels turned themselves in to government troops in Barangay Balagon, along with a homemade shotgun and three handguns with ammunition.
Templonuevo quoted one of the surrenderers, alias Ka Carol, as saying that they regretted joining the NPA after suffering from various forms of abuses by their leaders.
“The New People’s Army has promised us a peaceful life and protection from abusive soldiers; however, it was the other way around. They were abusive,” Templonuevo quoted Ka Carol as saying.
The four surrenderers, he said, also felt deceived by the "promises and lies of the NPA in their community.”
Brig. Gen. Bagnus Gaerlan, the Army’s 102nd Infantry Brigade commander, has called on local officials “to engage and lead the localized peace talks among the NPAs to address the issues and problems properly.”
“Rest assured that we will collaborate and support the activities of the local government in addressing peace and security in the area,” Gaerlan said.
Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Roberto Ancan, the Army’s 1st Infantry Division commander, commended the efforts of the troops that led to the surrender of the four NPA rebels.
Ancan called on the remaining NPA rebels to surrender and avail of the benefits under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) of the government.
“With the promulgation of Executive Order 70, we believe that the E-CLIP will be enhanced to benefit more rebels in our country. Convergence and synchronization of plans, programs, and projects among the government agencies are vital to end the decades-long insurgency that only brought misery to our country,” Ancan added. (PNA)
