NPA rebels in NorMin, Caraga yield to military

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 2): NPA rebels in NorMin, Caraga yield to military

A dozen members of the New Peoples Army (NPA) surrendered to the government as the military welcomed their return to mainstream society, in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon.

The rebels were compensated for surrendering to authorities under the government's “Pagbalik sa Sabakan” program. The Army has yet to release the names of the 13 surrenderers.

Five of those who surrendered received P65,000 and firearms remuneration each, while the eight, who were members of the “Militia ng Bayan” (people’s militia), were paid for the weapons they turned over in a ceremony in Camp Osito D. Bahian in Malaybalay, on Oct. 30.

The government’s Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP) offers livelihood assistance amounting to P50,000 and immediate cash aid of P15,000 to every NPA surrenderer, including remuneration for each firearm brought, the Army’s 4th Infantry Division (4ID) said in a statement.

Under the CLIP, the surrenderers are also offered a re-integration package that includes livelihood and capacity development trainings.

Brigadier Gen. Eric Vinoya, commander of the Army’s 403rd Infantry Brigade and co-chair of the CLIP committee, has urged all the NPA members who still remain “victims of futility of the armed struggle and misguided by the ill propaganda of the NPA leaders to go down, surrender and live your lives peacefully.”

Meanwhile, another batch of NPA fighters yielded to the military in Caraga on Wednesday, Nov. 1.

According to the 26th Infantry Battalion, four Maoist combatants belonging to the NPA’s Guerrilla Front Committee 88 laid down their firearms in Talacogon, Agusan del Sur.

“Kim” (not his real name) told the military that hunger and sickness while hiding in the mountains forced them to surrender.

Lt. Col. Rommel Pagayon, 26IB commanding officer, said the former rebels will “undergo the processing for their enrollment under the [CLIP] of the government where they will get benefits to start a new and peaceful life.”

Col. Andres Centino, 401st Infantry Brigade commander, said the surrender of the fighters is a “manifestation of weakness of GFC 88 due to recent setbacks.”

“This is one of our advocacies to bring peace to the community through offering them (NPA) a chance to return to the folds of the law by peaceful means,” Centino said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php/articles/1014635