Army general renews calls for NPA rebels to surrender

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 10, 2019): Army general renews calls for NPA rebels to surrender

A ranking general of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Monday renewed his call for New People’s Army rebels to abandon their armed struggle and avail of the government’s Enhanced–Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) to start a better life.

“The government is now mobilizing all concerned agencies to address the root causes of insurgency. It’s about time for those who are already in doubt of their armed movement to return to the fold of the law and avail the Enhanced – Comprehensive Local Integration Program,” Maj. Gen. Dinoh Dolina, commander of the Army’s 3rd Infantry (Spearhead) Division, said in an e-mail to the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

The 3rd Infantry Division is based in Capiz, where the military is currently conducting a combat operation against NPA communist insurgents.

The AFP has dispatched the 11th Infantry Battalion (11IB) of the Philippine Army (PA) to augment the 3rd Infantry Division in the fight against the NPA.

“The return of the 11IB will boost the government’s peace campaign in Negros Island and will definitely help in fast-tracking our anti-insurgency and clearing efforts in the island,” Dolina said.

He said the unit is a seasoned infantry battalion in guerrilla warfare.

The battalion was formerly stationed in Barangay McKinley, Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental.

“With the addition of 11IB in the island of Negros, we shall have five infantry battalions -- 94th Infantry Battalion in Negros Oriental and the 15th, 62nd and 79th IBs in Negros Occidental working hand in hand to eradicate CPP (Communists Party of the Philippines)-NPA Terrorist. And with the return of the 11IB, we are now seeing the faster demise of the terrorist organization in this part of the region soon,” Dolina said.

“We will saturate Negros Island with more troops so we can fill up every inch of the island. The bigger number of troops conducting not only combat operations but also peace and development activities will surely create better results when it comes to our anti-insurgency efforts in Negros,” Dolina added.

The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1071890