WANING STRENGTH. Col. Andrew D. Costelo, commander of the 703rd Infantry Brigade, says the mass surrender of members of the New People's Army (NPA) and their supporters in Central Luzon resulted in the continued downfall of the terrorist group. In an interview on Wednesday (Nov. 20, 2019), he said a total of 459 NPA terrorists and supporters in Central Luzon have voluntarily surrendered to the government from November 6 to 19 this year. (Photo by Jason de Asis)
BALER, Aurora -- The already waning strength of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Central Luzon is on further decline as a result of the mass surrender of its members and supporters in the past weeks.
Col. Andrew D. Costelo, commander of the 703rd Infantry Brigade, in an interview on Wednesday said the recent surrenders show the continued downfall of the NPA’s main source of support, their mass organizations, and indicate the effectiveness of the whole-of-nation approach to end the insurgency problem.
So far, a total of 459 NPA terrorists and their supporters in Central Luzon have voluntarily surrendered to the government from November 6 to 19, this year.
Out of the total surrenderers, 81 are NPA rebels, 19 are Militia ng Bayan members and 359 are rebels’ supporters.
“This is through the efforts of our soldiers with the full support and cooperation of the local government units (LGUs) and the people in Central Luzon. The recent development is a big blow to the NPA terrorist group,” he said.
Costelo asked the military troops to continuously collaborate with concerned government agencies and other civil society organizations for the necessary interventions and other assistance under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) for surrenderers to become productive citizens.
He particularly cited the case of the recent surrender of alias "Robin", a supply officer under Platoon Uno of Komiteng Larangang Guerrilla (KLG) Sierra Madre, who is entitled to receive PHP15,000 initial assistance, PHP50,000 livelihood assistance and firearms remuneration of PHP100,000 for surrendering two M16 rifles.
“He is also entitled, if qualified, to avail of benefits being offered by government agencies such as the National Housing Authority, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Justice and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). In addition, LGUs also have incentives in store for NPA surrenderers,” Costelo said.
Maj. Gen. Lenard T. Agustin, commander of Army’s 7th Infantry Division, said he is very proud of the military troops who made the immense volume of surrenderers possible.
“I am urging all the remaining NPAs, underground mass organizations as well as its supporters to return to the fold of the law and in response, we will do our duties to reintegrate them to mainstream of society and live peaceful and productive lives. In doing so, they could contribute in attaining peace and development in Central Luzon,” Agustin said.
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