Mindoro map courtesy of en.wikipedia.org
CAMP GEN. CAPINPIN, Tanay, Rizal — Two former members of the New People's Army (NPA) have yielded to police and military forces in Occidental Mindoro on Tuesday.
The former rebels also surrendered two M14 rifles after signifying their intention to return to mainstream society and disclosed their arms cache during the government forces’ intelligence operations.
Col. Antonio Lastimado, Commander of 203rd Brigade, said the surrender of the two rebels brings the number of rebel surrenderers in Mindoro island to 65.
Lastimado said the two rebels, whose identities are being withheld for security reasons, will receive similar benefits which earlier surrenderers got under the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).
“This accomplishment is a direct result of the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF ELCAC)-MIMAROPA’s proactive stance in implementing President Duterte’s Executive Order Number 70 which calls for a whole of nation approach in solving insurgency in our country,” Lastimado said in a statement Wednesday.
He also expressed confidence on the success of the localized Provincial Task Force ELCAC of Occidental Mindoro under Governor Eduardo Gadiano.
“We will be able to defeat insurgency in this part of the country through the civilian agencies’ consistent delivery of social services to far-flung areas complemented by the military’s unrelenting intelligence-driven focused military operations,” he added.
He also reiterated the soldiers’ commitment to serve the Filipino people and ensure their security at all times so that they may enjoy their families’ company in peace especially at the onset of the holiday season.
In a related report, Lt. Col. Mario Lito Retirva, Commanding Officer of the 76th Infantry Battalion, said government troops also recovered numerous M14 magazines with ammunition.
“We are expecting more war materiel will be handed-over by these former rebels in the coming days,” Retirva said.
He pointed to military records that showed the unprecedented snowball of NPA surrenders in Southern Tagalog were attributed to discontent from the terrorist rebel movement leaders and demoralization among the terrorists’ ranks.
“These are on top of the swift implementation of E-CLIP, which provides grants to former rebels to help them and their families reintegrate to mainstream society and lead normal lives,” he added.
The military said some 80 former rebels will receive PHP1.2 million worth of grants covering immediate and livelihood cash assistance during a ceremony to be led by Gadiano in San Jose City, Occidental Mindoro on November 26.
In a separate statement, Brig. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr., Commander of the Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry Division (2ID), lauded the troops for the successful localized peace negotiation.
Burgos said President Rodrigo Duterte has been promoting the localized peace talks after realizing that prominent CPP leaders like Joma Sison no longer command obedience from the NPA terrorists on the ground.
“Today more than ever, through the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, we are in a position to finally defeat insurgency and finally pave the way for peace, prosperity and development which every Filipino deserves,” Burgos said.
He affirmed military’s assessment the NPA units operating in southern Tagalog are now on the verge of collapse due to massive losses in terms of manpower, firearms as well as mass base and financial support.
He reiterated his call to the few remaining NPAs to put down their arms, avail E-CLIP grants, return to mainstream society and join the Filipino people in moving forward as a nation.
The NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, 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/1085959
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