From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 18, 2020): 90 NPA rebels yield in Sarangani, nearby areas (By Richelyn Gubalani)
Lt. Col. Ronaldo Valdez, commanding officer of the Army’s 73rd Infantry Battalion. (Photo courtesy of 73IB)
At least 90 New People’s Army (NPA) combatants have surrendered within the first 10 months of the year in parts of Sarangani province and the neighboring areas, an Army official said Wednesday.
Lt. Col. Ronaldo Valdez, commanding officer of the Army’s 73rd Infantry Battalion (IB), said the surrenderers have expressed desire to avail of the government’s reintegration program and lead normal lives with their families.
Valdez said the returnees, who yielded over 70 low and high-powered firearms, are mostly indigenous peoples lured into joining the NPA by promises of "certain benefits that never realized."
Most of the surrenderers, he said, were previously under the NPA's Guerilla Front 71 (Tala)-Far South Mindanao Region, which operates in the hinterlands of Sarangani and Davao Occidental.
“This is the result of our continuing collaboration with the LGUs (local government units) and concerned agencies to bring the necessary developments and services to our communities,” Valdez said in a radio interview.
Valdez said they expect more NPA combatants to surrender in the coming weeks through local leaders' assistance, complemented by the military and other government agencies' joint community outreach activities.
The Army official also attributed the series of surrenders to the local task force's efforts to end the local communist armed conflict (ELCAC), which he said have been delivering various projects and services to communities, especially those in the remote areas.
“We brought farm inputs like seeds, fish fingerlings, and basic implements to help provide sustainability to our residents. There were projects like roads and other infrastructure,” he said.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1122199
Lt. Col. Ronaldo Valdez, commanding officer of the Army’s 73rd Infantry Battalion (IB), said the surrenderers have expressed desire to avail of the government’s reintegration program and lead normal lives with their families.
Valdez said the returnees, who yielded over 70 low and high-powered firearms, are mostly indigenous peoples lured into joining the NPA by promises of "certain benefits that never realized."
Most of the surrenderers, he said, were previously under the NPA's Guerilla Front 71 (Tala)-Far South Mindanao Region, which operates in the hinterlands of Sarangani and Davao Occidental.
“This is the result of our continuing collaboration with the LGUs (local government units) and concerned agencies to bring the necessary developments and services to our communities,” Valdez said in a radio interview.
Valdez said they expect more NPA combatants to surrender in the coming weeks through local leaders' assistance, complemented by the military and other government agencies' joint community outreach activities.
The Army official also attributed the series of surrenders to the local task force's efforts to end the local communist armed conflict (ELCAC), which he said have been delivering various projects and services to communities, especially those in the remote areas.
“We brought farm inputs like seeds, fish fingerlings, and basic implements to help provide sustainability to our residents. There were projects like roads and other infrastructure,” he said.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1122199
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