Four more members of a New People’s Army (NPA) unit
operating in the hinterlands of South Cotabato
and Sarangani provinces have surrendered to government troops following
informal negotiations.
Lt. Col Ronald Jess Alcudia, commander of the Army’s 27th
Infantry Battalion, said Tuesday the rebels separately yielded over the weekend
in T’boli town in South Cotabato and Kiamba in Sarangani Province
He said the returnees were all members of field units under
the NPA’s Front 73, which operates in South Cotabato ,
Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani.
“These are disgruntled NPA members. They mainly decided to
surrender and lead normal lives due to the uncertainty of their cause,” he said
in a radio interview.
Alcudia said one of the two rebels who surrendered in
T’boli, South Cotabato brought along a
high-powered firearm.
Citing his initial discussions with the returnees, he said
they were encouraged to join the rebel group due to promises of regular
salaries and other benefits.
Some of them were promised monthly pay, which reportedly
starts at Php5,000, and a sack of rice for their families.
“These were all empty promises and they eventually realized
that,” Alcudia said.
The Army official said the returnees, who he refused to name
due to security reasons, are now undergoing the required evaluation for the
granting of initial relief assistance.
He said they will later enroll the four former rebels into
the Comprehensive Local Integration Program so they could available of other
socio-economic and livelihood assistance.
“We’ve been receiving surrender feelers from the other
rebels so we expect some of them to also yield soon,” he added.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=806809
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