Eastmincom spent P5.35M to disarm Visayas NPA rebels

From the Business Mirror (Sep 7): Eastmincom spent P5.35M to disarm Visayas NPA rebels

The Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) has spent P5.35 million for its “guns for peace” program, a venture into attracting New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas to surrender and turn in their weapons.

This was contained in the exit report of Lt. Gen. Ricardo Rainier G. Cruz, who retired from military service on Saturday, and turned over the command of the Eastmincom to Maj. Gen. Aurelio Baladad, former commander of the Army’s Third Infantry Division in Hamindan, Capiz.

The Eastmincom public affairs unit said the command released P5,357,250 in accumulated worth of remuneration and livelihood to mostly NPA guerrillas who surrendered 282 firearms of various make and sizes. The amount was taken from the budget of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, according to Cruz. The practice was stopped in June and transferred to the local government under the Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP).

According to Capt. Alberto C. Caber, chief of the Eastmincom Public Information Office, the Guns for Peace program gave between P30,000 and P60,000 for shouldered weapons or rifles and between P10,000 and P15,000 for pistols or handguns.

Cash awards also included a small capital for livelihood, Caber added.

He said the CLIP has relegated the remuneration part to local government coffers, with additional incentive for skills training to be provided by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

The Eastmincom said it listed 247 regular NPA members who surrendered during  Cruz’s tour of duty, which lasted for 18 months until Saturday.

Cruz’s report claimed the CLIP helped reduced the strength of the NPA, as government soldiers also reported recovering 273 more firearms of assorted make. It also claimed to have freed 534 barangays from NPA control and influence. Cruz said control of these villages were handed over to local governments within the Eastmincom territory, which covers the eastern half of Mindanao extending to parts of Lanao del Sur.

However, the National Democratic Front, which covers under its wing the NPA and the Communist Party of the Philippines, claimed it had launched more aggressive and almost simultaneous military attacks on government military installations and troop positions in the past year.

http://businessmirror.com.ph/index.php/en/news/regions/38410-eastmincom-spent-p5-35m-to-disarm-visayas-npa-rebels