Google map of Leon B. Postigo municipality, Zamboanga del Norte.
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Three New People’s Army (NPA) rebels have surrendered brought about by hardships in the hills in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, an official said Wednesday.
Maj. Gen. Generoso Ponio, the Army’s 1st Infantry Division commander, identified the NPA surrenderers as Fernan Micasia, a team leader, and Teng Alom and Ronie Tuburan.
Ponio said the surrenderers used to operate under the NPA’s Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee and are all residents of Barangay Guibo, Siayan town. They surrendered Monday to the Army’s 97th Infantry Battalion (IB) in Barangay Poblacion in Leon Postigo town.
“The surrenderers said they decided to surrender and return to the fold of the law because of the adversities they experienced while eluding the intensified offensives of the government forces,” he said, adding the three underwent custodial debriefing at the 97IB headquarters.
The three NPA surrenderers will be enrolled with the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (-CLIP) to assist them in their reintegration.
Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) chief, attributed the surrender of the three NPA rebels to the cooperation between government troops and community stakeholders.
“It exhibits the untiring commitment and dedication of our troops to continuously protect and secure our communities from the wrong ideologies of our enemies,” Sobejana said.
“We continue to exert our best efforts to end the local communist armed conflict and other threats for lasting peace and sustainable development here in Mindanao,” he said. (PNA)
