FOOD CACHE. Soldiers unearth a food cache buried by rebels in San Isidro village in Las Navas, Northern Samar, in this Oct. 2, 2023 photo. The military thanks former supporters of the New People's Army for disclosing the location of the buried cache that led the rebels to crisis. (PNA photo courtesy of Philippine Army)
TACLOBAN CITY – Regular dialogues between local authorities and family members of active New People’s Army (NPA) will lead to the surrender of more rebels and recovery of more firearms in Samar provinces, an army official has said.
Philippine Army’s 802nd Infantry Brigade commander Brig. Gen. Noel Vestuir said on Tuesday the dialogue jointly initiated by local government units and the military has encouraged more NPA members to surrender and disclose the location of firearms.
“Even if they won’t admit it, these people had chances to contact their family members recruited by the NPA. They are very effective in convincing their loved ones to return home and join the government’s peace and development efforts,” Vestuir told reporters.
Since the transfer of the 802nd brigade from Ormoc City in Leyte to Borongan City in Eastern Samar in May this year, at least seven active NPA combatants have already surrendered, while hundreds of their supporters have abandoned the communist ideology in some parts of Samar provinces.
The official attributed this accomplishment to the Friends Rescued Engagement through their Families program of the Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF-ELCAC) in collaboration with family members.
The latest surrenderer through this initiative was alias Totoy, 17, a member of the NPA sub-regional committee of the Eastern Visayas regional party committee who yielded to the military on Sept. 29.
He revealed the location of cache of war materials in upland Mabini village in Basey, Samar where government troops recovered a caliber 45 pistol, four homemade shotguns, an upper receiver of M16A1 rifle with bolt carrier assembly, two caliber 5.56mm magazines, a caliber .45 magazine, 17 cartridges for caliber 5.56mm, five cartridges for caliber 45 pistol, eight cartridges for a 12-gauge shotgun, three cartridges for an AK47 rifle, and one notebook with high-intelligence value.
“We are grateful for the positive response of the people of Samar in working hard to convince their family members who are still active NPA members. We have once again proven that the love of family conquers the hate that the communist terrorists sowed in the hearts of their recruits as part of their agitate-organize-mobilize concept of radicalizing our people to support their armed struggle,” Vestuir added.
Meanwhile, acting on information from former NPA supporters, soldiers discovered a food cache containing one 20-liter gallon full of rice and one 4-liter gallon packed with salt in the vicinity of San Isidro village in Las Navas, Northern Samar on Oct. 2.
Vestuir said that by cutting their food supplies and limiting their capacity to operate, the government has created a “crisis situation among the NPA ranks because of starvation.”
The surrender of active NPA members and withdrawal of support in communities prompted the NPA to bury their firearms and supplies, according to the official. (PNA)
