6 NPA members yield
to government in AgSur
By 2Lt.
Cecille Tappa
TALACOGON,
Agusan del Sur, Dec. 10 – Six members and supporters of the New People's Army
(NPA) yielded to the government’s fold and peacefully laid down their firearms
to the forces of the 26th Infantry (Ever Onward) Battalion (26IB), Philippine
Army at its headquarters in Agusan del Sur.
The
surrenderees were identified as alias ‘Barungos’, six years in the armed
struggle; alias ‘Jemuel', with two years of experience as squad leader; alias
‘Labtik’, a former Militia ng Bayan (MB) member; alias ‘Dondon’, an MB member
for seven years together with his wife alias ‘Denden’, an extortion collector
and MB and; alias ‘Banjie’, a platoon medic for seven months and was
impregnated by her colleague. All of them belong to Guerilla Front (GF) 88 of
the North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC) operating in the
municipality of San Luis and some parts of La Paz, all of Agusan del Sur.
After realizing the senseless cause of their armed struggle, said surrenderees peacefully laid down six firearms to the government forces. The surrendered firearms composed of one AK47, one M14 rifle, one M16 rifle and one M1 carbine rifle, one Cal 45 pistol and one Cal 38 revolver. Also, other surrendered items included a total of seven magazines and 77 ammunition.
The voluntary surrender of these former rebels (FRs) was made possible through
the joint efforts of the 401st Infantry (Unity) Brigade and the Intelligence
Section of 26IB in collaboration with the Peace, Law Enforcement and
Development (PLED) Support Team Cluster of the Municipal Task Force to End
Local Communist Armed Conflict (MTF-ELCAC) of San Luis, Agusan del Sur.
"We
are calling our brothers and sisters who are still in the armed group to lay
down your arms in order to live peaceful and meaningful lives together with
your loved ones especially this coming Christmas. The five decades of armed
struggle have brought senseless death and miseries to hundreds of thousands of
our countrymen. Surrender now and we will aspire for a peaceful country,"
added Goce.
Meanwhile, the unit of 26IB also conducted Custodial Debriefing to the surrenderees who were processed for the enrollment in the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) benefits, a government program that aims to help the rebel members of Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) and MB to restore their allegiance to the Philippine government. (CMO, 26IB/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
