SURRENDER. Twelve former communist New People's Army fighters pose for posterity in front of the Army's 88th Infantry Battalion headquarters in Maramag, Bukidnon, following their surrender on Aug. 14, 2020. Lt. Col. Franklin Fabic, 88IB commander, said on Tuesday (Aug. 18, 2020 that the communist rebel movement in the province is disintegrating with the constant stream of surrenderers in recent years. (Photo courtesy of 88IB)
MARAMAG, Bukidnon – The chief of the Army's 88th Infantry Battalion (88IB) said Tuesday the communist New People’s Army (NPA) in Bukidnon province is on the verge of "disintegrating", given the sustained number of guerilla surrenderers in the past few years.
Lt. Col. Franklin Fabic issued the prediction after he welcomed 12 NPA surrenderers at the 88IB headquarters here last August 14.
“For those who choose to remain as threats (to) our peaceful communities, we will not hesitate to exhaust all our capabilities to hunt and destroy you with all our might for the protection of peace-loving citizens of Southern Bukidnon,” Fabic said in a statement Tuesday.
He said the 12 surrenderers were under the NPA's Guerilla Front-Malayag operating in Cabanglasan town that was involved in several skirmishes with government forces early this month.
The unit, Fabic said, suffered "losses and debacles" in recent months, forcing its members to abandon the rebel movement.
One of the surrenderers, identified only as Rolen, said they were compelled to yield after experiencing "hunger and misery."
"We were also scared when our comrade died in an encounter and we might have the same fate. I don’t want to die, I want to do better things together with my child and my family," Rolen said in the vernacular.
In a series of armed encounters late last month, government forces killed an NPA fighter and seized the group's hideout in the municipalities of San Fernando and Cabanglasan.
Government troops also recovered firearms, ammunition, and subversive documents.
The NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA)
