DWDD: DISGRUNTLED | 188 NPAs Surrender in First 3 Weeks of January 2018

From DWDD AFP Civil Relations Service Radio Website (Jan 25): DISGRUNTLED  |  188 NPAs Surrender in First 3 Weeks of January 2018

CAMP GEN EMILIO AGUINALDO, Quezon City (DWDD) – A total of 188 terrorists New People’s Army (NPA) surrendered to government forces in the first three weeks of January.



This happens in the wake of President Rodrigo Duterte’s invitation to surrender and offer to protect and provide assistance in his Dec 21 talk to more than 600 former rebels in Davao City .

Mobile phones were also distributed by the President encouraging former rebel leaders to communicate the efforts of the government to their former comrades who are still fighting for a lost cause.

In January 20, President Rodrigo Duterte also met with rebel returnees Nilo Legaspi (former regional Spokesman of the NPA) and his wife Wendy in Davao City. The President gave the couple housing unit and financial assistance.

In January 21, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) received 52 former rebels who surrendered from the provinces of Masbate and Sultan Kudarat.

Seven NPA regulars and 35 members of Militia ng Bayan turned themselves in to joint elements of 2nd Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army and the Police in Masbate City. The group surrendered 13 firearms.

In Sultan Kudarat, 10 communist NPA members have returned to government folds and surrendered eight firearms.

Other 82 surrenders were had in the Provinces of Albay, Compostela Valley, Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato, Agusan del Norte, Bukidnon, Davao Oriental, Sarangani, Kalinga, Surigao del Sur and in the City of Davao.

The AFP believes that the series of surrenders reflects the efficacy of the combined efforts of local government units, the communities, the PNP, and the AFP thru community-based dialogues.

The AFP expects more NPAs to yield due to demoralization in their ranks amidst their mounting trust on President Duterte.

The surrenders are also attributed to the growing void in the NPA leadership due to the surrender of their leaders who opted to return to the folds of government citing corruption in the higher levels of NPA hierarchy as among the reason. AFP PAF / MCAG

http://dwdd.com.ph/2018/01/25/disgruntled-188-npas-surrender-in-first-3-weeks-of-january-2018/