RETURN TO THE FOLD. Five members of the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People’s Army from the municipality of Calinog, with their assorted firearms, surrender to law enforcement authorities in the municipality of Calinog in Iloilo on Wednesday (June 21, 2023). Police Regional Office 6 spokesperson Maj. Mary Grace Borio said on Thursday (June 22, 2023) attributed the surrender to the successful implementation of the Philippine National Police retooled community support program. (Photo courtesy of Regional Mobile Force Battalion 6)
ILOILO CITY – Five members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) brought with them assorted firearms when they surrendered to law enforcement authorities in the municipality of Calinog in Iloilo on Wednesday.
Maj. Mary Grace Borio, spokesperson for the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) said the surrenderers, whose names were withheld for security reasons, were residents of Calinog’s Barangay Binolusan.
They voluntarily yielded through Maj. Romwill D. Miras, company commander of the 606th Company at the headquarters of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 6 (RMFB6) based in the municipality, and also turned over three long-barrel 12-gauge homemade shotguns, a short barrel 12-gauge shotgun, a .38-caliber pistol without a serial number and four pieces of live 12-gauge ammunition.
“We were able to encourage them to surrender through our retooled community support program. They became aware of our concern on terrorism and communism and as a result, they have decided to surrender,” Borio said in dialect in an interview on Thursday.
Under the program, members of the Philippine National Police visit far-flung barangays, stay in the area, and serve as liaisons in bringing government services closer to the community.
They also conduct lectures on the “evils of communism” to make the residents realize and understand the efforts of the government to better their conditions.
“They live with the people there, look into their needs, and facilitate how they will be addressed,” she added.
The surrenderers will have to undergo validation and will be evaluated for the remuneration of their yielded firearms and to determine the program they can avail of under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).
Borio said since January this year, 11 members of the CPP-NPA from the municipality of Calinog have surrendered to the PNP while one was arrested.
Early this month 102 residents of the town’s Barangay Binolusan Pequeño, who are members of the mass base under the Komiteng Rehiyon Panay (KRP), pledged allegiance to the government and withdrew their support to the CPP-NPA in a simple ceremony conducted together with the local government of Calinog.
They also gave up 13 assorted firearms under the PRO-6 “Armas Baylo Bugas” program. (PNA)
