NPA disowns rebel surrenderees

From the Leyte Samar Daily Express (Aug 22): NPA disowns rebel surrenderees

The New People’s Army based in Northern Samar disowned the series of “NPA surrenderees” presented by the military and accused the same as `fake rebels’ and branded them as nothing but “impostors” taking advantage of the government’s financial offer.

Ka Amado Pesante, spokesperson of the Rodante Urtal Command of the New People’s Army, said the 53 NPA surenderees in Northern Samar were peasants and allegedly forcibly recruited and recognized by the military in order to “assemble” the illusion that the military is winning the war.

The NPA claimed also that the so-called fake NPA surrenderees has become a `bounty-hunting’ scheme for certain LGU and military officials and allegedly pushing some civilians who are in survival mode to present themselves as rebel returnees complete with make-believe stories allegedly invented by military.

To recall, the 8th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army told reporters that the military in the region scored against members of the New People’s Army cadres operating in the mountainous part of the region.

This includes the arrest of NPA insurgents, five of whom held key positions in the NPA hierarchy in Eastern Visayas, recovered high powered firearms and low powered firearms, neutralization of NPA insurgents during encounters, surrender and neutralization of organized mass members and the discovery and seizure of 77 NPA camps.

The Leyte Samar Daily Express learned that all “NPA surrenderees” reportedly signed up for the Social Integration Program (SIP), which aims to entice rebels to abandon their armed struggle. The SIP, which was launched in June 2008 under the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), assists rebels who want to integrate into society with financial assistance, legal and health benefits, and livelihood training. The rebels are offered also P20,000 cash incentives for surrendering and same thing for the firearms they will turn over amounting to P200,000 for light machine gun; Colt M16 rifle – P50,000; M14 – P60,000 and for M203 grenade launcher – P40,000.
This military strategy of a supposed surrender, according to the NPA, was again another of military’s system of accepting bogus NPA rebels in hopes of sowing demoralization within the ranks of genuine members of the NPA.

Questioning the surrender of guns, except for armalite rifles, the rest of the surrendered firearms were M-1 Garand rifle and world war II vintage rifles and most of the firearms appears to be no longer serviceable if not heavily damaged, according to the NPA.

The big losers in the drama, according to Pesante, are the taxpayers whose money were used to pay for non-serviceable guns that were paid through the efforts of unscrupulous local officials and military.

And while the coffers of the province was drying up due to these charades, basic services continue to be neglected, and such amount of people’s money should be better spent for genuine people’s livelihood, Pesante added.

However, in an interview with Capt. Amado Gutierrez, spokesperson of the 8th ID based in Catbalogan City, he belied the contention of Pesante, saying that all the presented surrenderees were real members of the NPA.

According to Capt. Gutierrez, NPA rebels who voluntarily surrendered undergoes a process of scrutiny and are properly check by the board as to their real identity before they would be accepted under the Social Integration Program of the government.

“All was properly documented and it is an open book, walang itinatago ang military,’ said Gutierrez.

This is a big opportunity for our long lost brothers and sisters to start a new life with a bright future for their families, and the money is intended to help the ex-rebels get started in civilian life, who are to be given amnesty, according to Gutierrez.

“We are here to help and assist in every possible way we can for their safety,” said Gutierrez.

The Army were expecting more rebels to surrender and live normal lives.

Those who surrendered, according to Gutierrez, told them they were deceived by their leaders and had a difficult lives in the mountains.

The 8th ID in the region is more determined to quash insurgency by 2016 as it announced a record number of NPA surrenderees and rebel camps raided all over the region.

http://leytesamardaily.net/2013/08/npa-disowns-rebel-surrenderees/