NPA LEADERS SURRENDER. Joel Maca (3rd from right), the deputy secretary of the NPA Guerrilla Front 30 of the North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee, and his wife, Linebeth Mahinay (3rd from left), the finance and logistics officer of the same rebel unit, and four other companions after their surrender to the 36th Infantry Battalion in Surigao del Sur on April 26, 2024. Army officials said they also gave the locations of 12 high-powered firearms concealed in different areas, which were recovered by the Army troopers. (Photo courtesy of 4ID)
BUTUAN CITY – The communist New People’s Army (NPA) in the Caraga Region has suffered another major blow as two of its ranking leaders and four active members recently surrendered to the military in Surigao del Sur.
In a statement on Thursday, the Army’s 4th Infantry Division (4ID) identified the rebel leaders who surrendered as Joel Maca, the deputy secretary of NPA Guerrilla Front 30 (GF-30), and his wife, Linebeth Mahinay, the unit's finance and logistics officer. They surrendered to the Army’s 36th Infantry Battalion on April 26.
Four other rebels who surrendered along with the couple were identified as Mandy Trinidad Juagpao, a platoon medic; Jonmar Bagnol Mahinay, a squad leader; Joseph Montenegro; and Eloy Juagpao Suazo.
In the same statement, Brig. Gen. Arsenio Sadural, 901 Brigade commander, said a follow-up operation was immediately conducted after the surrenderers disclosed the location of firearms concealed by their comrades in the peripheries of Tago and Lanuza towns and Tandag City, all in Surigao del Sur.
Twelve high-powered firearms and other war materiel were recovered from the three areas.
Meanwhile, two other NPA guerrillas also turned themselves in to the Army’s 3rd Special Forces Battalion (3SFBn) in Lianga, Surigao del Sur on April 30. They turned over to authorities an M653 rifle with ammunition during their surrender.
Maj. Gen. Jose Maria Cuerpo II, the 4ID commander, welcomed the surrender of the two top NPA leaders and six others, saying the "imminent defeat" of the communist rebels in Surigao del Sur was at hand.
“The government’s comprehensive whole-of-nation approach addressing the insurgency has been yielding remarkable results and is in the final phase in eliminating (NPA rebels) in our area of responsibility,” he said. (PNA)
