At least 93 New People’s Army (NPA) rebels operating in the
hinterlands of Sarangani
Province
1Lt. Teresita Ingente, spokesperson of the Army’s 1002nd
Brigade, said Tuesday the rebels started to yield after a major encounter in
February with elements under the Army’s 73rd Infantry Battalion (IB) in Sitio
Tugal, Barangay Datal Anggas in Alabel, Sarangani.
The clash led to the killing of seven NPA rebels, including
one of its prominent leaders identified as Tolentino Bariquit alias Ka Brigol.
“There was an influx of surrenderees after that encounter,”
she said.
Ka Brigol headed the NPA’s Front 71’s “Platoon Mazda” and
previously led Front 74 of the rebel group’s Far South Mindanao Regional
Revolutionary Committee.
Before his death, the 50-year-old Ka Brigol was serving as
deputy secretary and political officer of the Front 71.
Ingente said the returnees were mostly members of the NPA’s
Front 71 and 75 that are mainly operating in Alabel, Glan and Malapatan towns
in Sarangani and Magsaysay town in Davao del Sur.
“Front 75 reportedly dissolved after the death of Brigol and
we were able to confirm that from the returnees,” she said.
Ingente said the series of surrenders since February and the
collapse of the Front 75 showed that the operating forces of the NPA rebels
have been decimated and already weakened.
She said such situation is contrary to the rebels’ claims
that their forces in Sarangani have increased by 20 percent since last year.
She was referring to a statement made by Ka Efren,
spokesperson of the NPA’s Far South Mindanao Regional Revolutionary Committee,
as part of the celebration of the 47th anniversary last Saturday of Communist
Party of the Philippines
“Our operations are continuing and along with that are
negotiations with a number of rebels who have sent surrender feelers,” Ingente
said.
She added that the returnees are now with their families and
leading new lives through various assistance provided by the national
government and the local government of Saragani under the flagship
Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP).
CLIP reintegrates former rebels into the social mainstream
and uplifts their socio-economic conditions to enable them to become active
partners in the local development.
The program also seeks to contribute towards the achievement
of the goal of permanent peaceful closure of all armed conflicts with non-state
armed groups.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=841941
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