REBEL RETURNEES. Lt. Col. Barney Condes (seated, extreme left), chief of the Police Regional Office-12 Mobile Force Battalion, presents some of the NPA surrenderers to South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. (seated, second from left) at the provincial capitol on Wednesday (July 17, 2019). (PNA Photo by Allen V. Estabillo)
A child warrior was among the 13 New People's Army (NPA) rebels, who have separately surrendered to police and Army personnel in South Cotabato province following several negotiations, officials said.
Lt. Col. Barney Condes, chief of the Police Regional Office (PRO)-12's Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB), said the rebels yielded in the past three weeks along with several firearms and anti-personnel mines in the municipalities of Lake Sebu, Surallah, and Tampakan.
Condes said the returnees, which included a squad leader and two team leaders, were formerly under the Platoons Samsung, Roxas Range and Cherry Mobile of the NPA Fronts 73 and 71.
They were presented by the PRO-12 to South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. at the provincial capitol on Wednesday.
According to the military, Front 71 operates in the northeastern boundaries of Tampakan town in South Cotabato and Columbio in Sultan Kudarat.
Front 73, considered as the biggest NPA unit in Region 12 or Soccsksargen, is based on the western side covering South Cotabato's upper valley area and the municipalities of Senator Ninoy Aquino and Kalamansig in Sultan Kudarat.
Lt. Col. Barney Condes, chief of the Police Regional Office (PRO)-12's Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB), said the rebels yielded in the past three weeks along with several firearms and anti-personnel mines in the municipalities of Lake Sebu, Surallah, and Tampakan.
Condes said the returnees, which included a squad leader and two team leaders, were formerly under the Platoons Samsung, Roxas Range and Cherry Mobile of the NPA Fronts 73 and 71.
They were presented by the PRO-12 to South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. at the provincial capitol on Wednesday.
According to the military, Front 71 operates in the northeastern boundaries of Tampakan town in South Cotabato and Columbio in Sultan Kudarat.
Front 73, considered as the biggest NPA unit in Region 12 or Soccsksargen, is based on the western side covering South Cotabato's upper valley area and the municipalities of Senator Ninoy Aquino and Kalamansig in Sultan Kudarat.
A report released by PRO-12 said the rebels, mostly from the Blaan tribe and with the youngest at just 16-years-old, were from Sitio Datal Ligaw, Barangay Tasiman in Lake Sebu; Sitio Lamlona, Barangay Little Baguio in Surallah; and Barangay San Isidro in Tampakan.
The surrender was facilitated by teams from the Regional Intelligence Unit-12, RMFB-12, Philippine National Police Intelligence Group, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency-12, South Cotabato police's intelligence branch and the Army's 27th Infantry Battalion (27IB).
Alias "Boy," one of the group's team leaders, said they decided to turn themselves in due to the uncertainty of their cause and the difficult situation in the mountains.
"We're already tired and had nothing to eat," the 46-year-old returnee, who spent 20 years as an NPA regular, said in a press conference.
Condes said the surrenderers were part of the NPA unit that clashed with troops from the 27IB in Sitio Pangi, Barangay Lunen in Tupi town last month, resulting in the killing of a rebel and the arrest of three others.
Three days after the encounter, the police official said the group sent surrender feelers, prompting them to initiate negotiations through an agent.
"They actually had nowhere to go after the encounter so they just decided to surrender," he said.
During the negotiations, Condes said the rebels expressed optimism on the government's livelihood assistance package so that they can start new lives.
The group surrendered an M14 rifle, M1 Garand rifle, four .45-caliber handguns, a homemade .38 caliber revolver, assorted bullets and two improvised landmines.
Condes said the recovery of the landmines is considered "a major gain for the government," considering the potential damage that they could inflict to troops and vehicles.
"This means that there are trained bomb-makers among the surrenderers," he said.
Tamayo said the provincial government will immediately process the evaluation and enrollment of the surrenderers to the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).
Under the program, Tamayo said the surrenderers stand to receive immediate cash, reintegration and livelihood assistance, as well as remuneration for the surrendered firearms and weapons.
The governor, who heads the provincial E-CLIP committee, said the returnees may also avail of housing assistance and skills training.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1075304
The surrender was facilitated by teams from the Regional Intelligence Unit-12, RMFB-12, Philippine National Police Intelligence Group, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency-12, South Cotabato police's intelligence branch and the Army's 27th Infantry Battalion (27IB).
Alias "Boy," one of the group's team leaders, said they decided to turn themselves in due to the uncertainty of their cause and the difficult situation in the mountains.
"We're already tired and had nothing to eat," the 46-year-old returnee, who spent 20 years as an NPA regular, said in a press conference.
Condes said the surrenderers were part of the NPA unit that clashed with troops from the 27IB in Sitio Pangi, Barangay Lunen in Tupi town last month, resulting in the killing of a rebel and the arrest of three others.
Three days after the encounter, the police official said the group sent surrender feelers, prompting them to initiate negotiations through an agent.
"They actually had nowhere to go after the encounter so they just decided to surrender," he said.
During the negotiations, Condes said the rebels expressed optimism on the government's livelihood assistance package so that they can start new lives.
The group surrendered an M14 rifle, M1 Garand rifle, four .45-caliber handguns, a homemade .38 caliber revolver, assorted bullets and two improvised landmines.
Condes said the recovery of the landmines is considered "a major gain for the government," considering the potential damage that they could inflict to troops and vehicles.
"This means that there are trained bomb-makers among the surrenderers," he said.
Tamayo said the provincial government will immediately process the evaluation and enrollment of the surrenderers to the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).
Under the program, Tamayo said the surrenderers stand to receive immediate cash, reintegration and livelihood assistance, as well as remuneration for the surrendered firearms and weapons.
The governor, who heads the provincial E-CLIP committee, said the returnees may also avail of housing assistance and skills training.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1075304
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