CHANCE WITH NEW LIFE. Two New People’s Army rebels operating in South Cotabato pose with their rifles with officials of the military following their surrender in Banga, South Cotabato on Feb. 12, 2022. The two surrenderers are undergoing custodial debriefing and are set for enrollment to the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program for livelihood and financial assistance. (Photo courtesy of 6ID)
CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao – Two more communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels have surrendered to the Army’s 5th Special Forces Battalion (SFB) in South Cotabato, the military here announced Thursday.
Brig. Gen. Pedro Balisi, the 1st Mechanized Brigade (Bde) commander, said the rebels turned themselves in at Barangay Lambini, Banga, South Cotabato.
They belonged to Platoon Samsung, Guerilla Front 73, Far South Mindanao Region and yielded an M16 rifle, a .30-caliber M1 Garand rifle, and two hand grenades.
The surrenderers, one of them a woman, were presented to Balisi following their surrender on February 12 to 5SFB troopers.
“The surrender of the two rebels proves that the campaign of National Task Force-Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) is an effective tool in addressing communist insurgency to compel these terrorists to return to the folds of the law and live peaceful and normal lives," Balisi said.
Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy, Army’s 6th Infantry Division commander, commended the troops involved in the peaceful surrender of former NPA rebels.
“We expect a continuous influx of surrenderers as we intensify our campaign against the communist terrorist group in close collaboration with various stakeholders and local community leaders," said Uy, also the commander of the Army-led Joint Task Force Central (JTFC).
“The JTFC will always be relentless against the NPA and we will not stop in hunting them down to prevent them from committing atrocities against our communities,” he added.
The surrenderers are now undergoing custodial debriefing and are set to be enrolled under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) for livelihood and financial assistance.
The 6ID said the surrender of the two raised the number of NPA surrenderers in Central Mindanao to 70 since January this year.
The Communist Party of the Philippines - NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
The Anti-Terrorism Council also formally designated the National Democratic Front as a terrorist organization on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and inseparable part” of the CPP-NPA that was created in April 1973. (PNA)
