Friday, December 11, 2015

Five NPA communists surrender, yield firearms in Zambo Sur

From the Zamboanga Today Online (Dec 11): Five NPA communists surrender, yield firearms in Zambo Sur

Five members of the communist insurgent group surrendered to government troops and gave up their firearms in Guipos town in Zamboanga del Sur province on Wednesday.

Major Filemon Tan Jr., Western Mindanao Command spokesman, said the surrender of five New People's Army rebels comes amid pressure from military-police operations.

Tan however did not divulge the names of the surrenderees. He did not also disclose whether the rebels were responsible for the previous ambush and extortion activities in Zamboanga del Sur.

According to Tan, the NPA members surrendered to Lieutenant Colonel Alvin Luzon, 53rd Infantry Battalion commanding officer, at their headquarters in Camp Sabido.


"They surrendered amid pressure from the intensified conduct of law enforcement operations of the military and police in Zamboanga del Sur and the dwindling mass support," he said.

Tan said the surrender was made possible through the joint efforts of the troops of the 53rd IB and 5th Infantry Battalion under the Army's 1st Infantry Division.

Major General Mayoralgo Dela Cruz, WestMinCom chief, lauded the effort of the troops and the Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Police Office and the Lapuyan Municipal Police Station for a job well done.


"The surrender is a clear victory for the people of Zamboanga del Sur and its adjacent provinces who yearn for peace and desire to live peacefully and lawfully," dela Cruz said.

The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines. It is designated by US State Department and EU Common Foreign and Security Policy as a terrorist group.

Philippine authorities have also tagged the NPA as notorious extortionists and blamed them for harassing banana, pineapple and rubber plantations, as well as poultry farms and mining outfits.

The communist group has been waging an insurgency since 1969 that has left tens of thousands of people dead.


http://www.zamboangatoday.ph/index.php/top-stories/21918-five-npa-communists-surrender-yield-firearms-in-zambo-sur.html

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