RECOVERED FIREARMS. Lt. Col. Julius Cesar C. Paulo (right), commander of the Army's 23rd Infantry Battalion, receives from "Michael" and "Niko", former New People's Army combatants, the four high-powered firearms recovered in the hinterlands of Sitio Likudon, Barangay Kamanikan, Gingoog City, during a turnover ceremony on Friday (June 12, 2020) at the 23IB headquarters in Buenavista, Agusan del Norte. (PNA photo by Alexander Lopez)
BUTUAN CITY – Two communist New People’s Army (NPA) combatants, who recently surrendered to the Army's 23rd Infantry Battalion, have guided troopers to an area where high-powered firearms and ammunition were recovered.
Lt. Col. Julius Cesar C. Paulo, 23IB commander, identified the two surrenderers only by their aliases, “Michael” and “Niko”, who used to operate under the Sandatahang Yunit Pampropaganda (SYP) Kingdom, Guerrilla Front (GF) 4A, of the NPA's North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC).
In a statement on Friday (June 12), Paulo said the two rebels voluntarily surrendered to the 23IB on June 10 because of the hardships they encountered within the rebel movement--especially hunger due to food scarcity.
“They ran away from their group and decided to leave the armed struggle. The two sought refuge in an Indigenous People (IP) village in the hinterlands of Gingoog City in Misamis Oriental, whose leaders made coordination with the 23rd IB that facilitated their surrender,” Paulo said.
A day after their surrender, the two led government troops to a remote area in Sitio Likudon, Barangay Kamanikan in Gingoog City, where high-powered firearms, ammunition, subversive documents, and other personal belongings of the rebels were recovered.
Paulo said the war materials were recovered in an area, where a series of running gun battles between the 23rd IB troopers and the NPA happened starting May 10, which led to the deaths of some 15 rebels.
“The relentless pursuit operations conducted by the 23IB after those series of encounters prompted the Communist NPA Terrorists (CNTs) to hide war materials and escaped to other provinces,” the Army official said, adding the former rebels made the right decision by peacefully submitting themselves to authorities.
“We welcomed their cooperation, which led to the discovery of the rifles and other belongings. I call on the remaining members and supporters of the CNTs to abandon the armed struggle. Go back to your family and to the folds of the law to live normally and peacefully. Your soldiers are always willing to help and assist you to avail the ECLIP program of the government,” Paulo said.
ECLIP stands for the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program, a set of aid packages for rebel returnees.
Paulo also urged residents of Agusan del Norte and Misamis Oriental to report the suspicious activities of the rebels in their villages.
“Let us help one another and work as a team in putting an end to the Local Communist Armed Conflict in the area,” he said.
The NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United Kingdom, the European Union, the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA)
