Eastmincom: 652 Red fighters surrender to army, PNP since January

From the Mindanao Times (Sep 14): Eastmincom: 652 Red fighters surrender to army, PNP since January

Six hundred fifty-two members of the New People’s Army (NPA) already surrendered to the different line units of the Eastern Mindanao command (EastMinCom) from January to September 2018 as a result of their continuous implementation of the Community Support program (CSP).

Lt. Col. Ezra Balagtey, the spokesperson of Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom), said that as of Tuesday, they also recorded 891 members of the Militiang Bayan, the backbone of support for the NPA fighters, who also surrendered to both the army and the police.

Meanwhile, 284 members of the Sangay sa Partido sa Lokalikad (SPL), also called the shadow government established in the rebel-influenced communities, and 7,285 members of the Underground Mass Organization (UGMO) also withdrew their support for the communist movement.

He said all surrenderees will be evaluated to determine if they are eligible for the Comprehensive Local Integration program (CLIP) program, which is implemented together with other local government units.

“For the past week, we haven’t monitored any atrocities in the whole area of EastMinCom,” he added. “As far as the security in EastMinCom we still continue to prevent terrorism in the area amid what happened in Central Mindanao.”

For the past week, Balagtey said they have intensified the security in major cities, particularly in General Santos, Davao City, and Cagayan de Oro city.

“We are happy that with the cooperation of the law enforcement agencies and other sectors of the society, we’re able to prevent the spillover of the terrorism,” he said, as he called on the public to continue to be vigilant and provide law enforcers with crucial information to thwart attacks.

Meanwhile, Capt. Jerry Lamosao, the spokesperson of 10th Infantry Division, said they continue to conduct training in the community on combating and countering terrorism.

http://mindanaotimes.net/eastmincom-652-red-fighters-surrender-to-army-pnp-since-january/