THREE former members of the New People’s Army (NPA) operating in northern Negros Island have surrendered to the commander of the 303rd Infantry Brigade (IB) Tuesday, September 28, 2021.
The army identified those who surrendered as “alias Rocky/Dan/Adam/Harim,” the rebels’ team leader, finance and logistic officer; political guide and education committee member “alias Baliling/Mia/Irish/Dyan/Jelly, and her husband alias Jamil/Prince/John, who is a squad leader.
They were part of the dismantled Komiteng Rehiyon-Negros Cebu Bohol Siquijor, the military said.
The difficult life in the mountains, loss of confidence in their group’s “cause” and betrayal of their colleagues were among the reasons why the former rebels returned to the government fold, the military also said.
The former rebels were presented to 3rd Infantry Division commander Major General Benedict Arevalo and 303rd Brigade Commander Brigadier General Inocencio Pasaporte in a ceremony held at Headquarters 303rd Infantry Brigade in Barangay Minoyan, Murcia.
“They affirmed the resentful system and lies of the NPA in propagating false ideologies to the people of Negros and that the hardship within the New people’s Army (NPA) units are already unbearable especially now that the support from their masses is declining,” Lieutenant Colonel J-jay Javines, commanding officer of 79th Infantry Battalion (IB), said.
“I encouraged the remaining members of the NPA to surrender and lay down their arms, avail of the government programs such as Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-Clip) and start living a more meaningful life together with their families and loved ones,” Javines also said.
The army official lauded the Local Task Force to End Local Armed Conflict (LTF-Elcac) for its continued support in their endeavors to sustain the peace and development in Negros.
The surrender of the three former rebels was also made possible through the efforts of the 303rd Brigade Intelligence Task Group and 79IB, among other groups.
The surrenderers are now undergoing custodial debriefing and need assessment for their enrollment to E-Clip.
