TWELVE members of the New People’s Army (NPA) based in Bukidnon surrendered to the Army's 88th Infantry Battalion on August 14, a military officials said Wednesday.
They even said the NPA in Bukidnon province is on the verge of "disintegrating", given the sustained number of guerilla surrenderers in the past few years.
Army’s 4th Infantry Division public affairs chief Major Rodulfo Cordero said the surrenderers were under the NPA's Guerilla Front-Malayag operating in Cabanglasan town that was involved in several skirmishes with government forces early this month.
“Reportedly, these NPA rebels are compelled to yield after experiencing "hunger and misery," said Cordero.
Cordero said the surrenderers also brought 11 various firearms they surrendered to 88IB.
He said the surrenderers, identified as aliases Joe, squad leader; Rolen (female), squad supply officer; Bayan, team leader; Gaw-ay, team leader; Rock, political guide; Tam-is, political guide and alias Banog.
NPA’s Militia ng Bayan members were aliases Jack, Dayrek, Justin Junel, and Opaw, according to Cordero.
88IB civil military operations officer Captain Norven Jay Garcia during custodial debriefing said the rebels brought along an M16A1, 2 garand rifles, 3 carbine M1 rifles, 4 homemade shotguns, and 1 caliber 45 pistol.
Garcia said prior to the group’s surrender in previous weeks, these rebels were involved in the armed battle against the government forces.
He said it resulted in the death and wounding of NPAs, seizure of their temporary hideouts, and the capture of numerous firearms, war materials, and subversive documents.
Rolen, one of the surrenderers said that they were also scared when their comrades died in an encounter.
“We might have the same fate. I don’t want to die, I want to do better things with my child and my family,” Rolen said in her dialect.
88IB commander Lt. Col. Franklin Fabic welcomed the voluntary surrender of the members of Guerrilla Front Malayag.
He said each of the 12 former NPA rebels can receive their enhanced comprehensive local integration program benefits after some detailed debriefing.
“I hope that alias Migs and his other members will do the same,” Fabic said, adding that for those who chose to remain as threats to our peaceful communities, they will not hesitate to exhaust all their capabilities to hunt and destroy them in order to protect the peace-loving citizens of Southern Bukidnon. (Ben Balce with report from PIA Bukidnon)
