CAMP GEN. CAPINPIN, Tanay, Rizal – Some 70 Mangyan indigenous peoples, who claimed they were recruited by the New People’s Army (NPA) Communist terrorist group, have surrendered en masse to troops of the 4th Infantry Battalion (4IB) in the tribal communities of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro.
Reports reaching this 2nd Infantry “Jungle Fighter” Division army camp here said the Mangyan indigenous tribes, who have since joined the rebel movement, have voluntarily yielded to authorities in Organized Mass Base (OMB) to the 4IB troops who were conducting their Community Support Program (CSP) in Barangays Naibuan and Monteclaro, a Mangyan ancestral domain in San Jose last Dec. 10.
The 70 Mangyan IP surrenderers were formally presented last Tuesday to San Jose Mayor Romulo Festin and Social Welfare and Development Officer Alicia M Cajayon for their enrollment in the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) for former rebels who returned to the fold of law and could be afforded cash and livelihood assistance, among other benefits.
Lt. Col. Dennis C. Gutierrez, Commanding Officer of the 4IB, said that of the 70 surrenderers, around 62 were members of “Milisyang Bayan” (MB) and eight were Sangay ng Partido sa Lokalidad (SPL) or local party branch which composed the mass base.
He described the SPL as the Communist Party organ in an NPA influenced sitio (sub-village) or barrio.
Interviewed by government troops during their surrender, a Mangyan rebel alias Nards, 40, who was a SPL member admitted they were deceived by the NPAs.
“Napaniwala ako ng mga NPA sa matagal na panahon na ang lupang aming sinasaka ay ipinagkaloob ng hukbo sa amin, kaya ganoon na lang pagtingala ko sa kanila. Sa tuwing anihan, ilang porsyento ng aming ani na palay at mais ay iniintrega namin sa hukbo (We were duped into believing the NPA for a long time that the land we were tilling would be turned over to us, and that’s the reason we trusted them. Every harvest, a certain percentage of our rice and corn harvest was given to the armed movement),” Nards said.
He added: “Ito ang aking kinagisnan mula pa sa aking mga magulang. Ngayon ko lang napagtanto na sinakyan lang ng mga NPA ang isyu sa lupang agraryo at lupa ng aming mga ninuno. Gumawa sila ng paraan para ipakita sa aming mga katutubo na parang utang namin sa kanila na mga NPA ang aming ikinabubuhay (This was what I grew up with my parents. It is only now that I realized the NPAs were just riding on the agrarian issue and the ancestral domains of our forebears. They schemed things out to show to our indigenous community that we owe our livelihood to the NPAs).”
Troops have also accounted that three of the 70 surrenderers were minors and all were MB members and confirmed they were forced to attend several NPA meetings.
“Pagkatapos ng ilang mga miting namin, sinasama kami ng hukbo sa kanilang basehan at tinuturuan magkalas ng armalite. Pag may mga taktikal na opensiba laban sa militar, ginagamit kami nila. Pagkatapos ay bumabalik din kami sa mga baryo namin, nag- lelegal, at kami na ang nagiging kontak nila sa tuwing papasok sila sa barangay namin (after our meetings, the movement comrades brought us to their camp and trained us on assembly/disassembly of the armalite. They also used us during their tactical offensives against the military. After the encounter, we returned to our respective villages, pretending to have legal activities, and we became their contacts before they intrude into our villages),” the young Mangyan rebels said.
Meanwhile, Colonel Marceliano V. Teofilo, the new Commander of the 203rd Infantry Brigade who has operational jurisdiction over Mindoro Island, slammed claims by Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) chairman Joma Sison and former Partylist Rep. Satur Ocampo that the CPP/NPA does not recruit minors.
“I heard personally the revelations of these teenagers how they were used by the NPAs on their operations and extortion activities, violating their rights and worst, putting their lives in great danger,” Teofilo said.
“We will sustain the momentum of our combat operations until these terrorists are destroyed. The order to them to conduct intensified attacks is mere propaganda. We will run after them until their only option left is to surrender,” he added.
Major General Rhoderick M. Parayno, Commander of the Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry “Jungle Fighter” Division (2ID), lauded the accomplishments of the 4IB troops against the NPA terrorists in the area.
“The vast number of NPA surrenderees clearly shows that they lost the support of the communities especially the Mangyan IPs in Mindoro. Such number will impede the communist party anniversary preparation in the area and we will give them no time to celebrate their futile cause,” he said.
“We encourage them to go home and feel the beauty of living peacefully and productively with their families, their wives and their children. We will help them enroll in the ECLIP like their former comrades who yielded ahead of them. I guarantee their safety and I'll make sure that they receive all the benefits due them offered by the government,” Parayno added.
Under the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP), a former rebel can receive PHP15,000 immediate cash assistance; PHP50,000 livelihood assistance, firearms remuneration, have access to housing, loans, medical and legal assistance, among others.
The ECLIP also includes educational benefits which can be extended to the rebel’s immediate family members.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1056738
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.