SURRENDER. Four communist New People’s Army guerillas surrender Wednesday (Nov. 11, 2020) to the military authorities in Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat. Major Gen. Juvymax Uy (inset), commander of the 6th Infantry Division operating in Central Mindanao, vowed to crush the communist rebels in the area by the end of the year. (Photo courtesy of 37IB)
COTABATO CITY – The military in Central Mindanao is on track to completely remove the threat of the communist insurgency within its area of responsibility by the end of the year.
Major General Juvymax R. Uy, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division (ID), made the assurance Wednesday as he welcomed the four communist rebels who surrendered to the 37th Infantry Battalion in Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat.
“We will finish the communist terrorist group problem by December 2020,” Uy said.
He said the 6ID and Joint Task Force Central are "exerting all efforts to complete" the mandate issued by President Rodrigo Duterte to end communist activities in the region and the rest of the country.
Uy said the Philippine Army is engaged in a two-pronged approach to end the communist problem.
“For one, the Army is opening all its camps in the provinces of Maguindanao, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato, Sarangani and part of Lanao del Sur, to welcome New People’s Army (NPA) radicals who wished to return to mainstream society,” he said.
“The other is the use of force, when necessary, to protect the people and the nation, Uy added.
Uy said all Army battalions under 6ID have been ordered to facilitate the "peaceful surrender of NPA guerillas who wish to reform and live normal lives."
At least 200 communist rebels have surrendered in the area of responsibility of the 6ID in the last two years. (PNA)
