Kalinaw News: Two disgruntled CPP-NPA-NDF members surrender

Posted to Kalinaw News (Nov 25, 2021): Two disgruntled CPP-NPA-NDF members surrender

CAMP DOWNES, Ormoc City, November 24, 2021 – Two disgruntled members of the CPP-NPA-NDF from the Third Legislative District of Leyte Province recently surrendered with their high-powered firearms to the government as the campaign to account for the remaining members of the communist terrorist group (CTG) in Leyte island continues to gain momentum.

First to voluntarily turn himself in to the 802nd Infantry (Peerless) Brigade is the 52-year old alias Nonoy of Barangay Tapol, Leyte town who brought along with him an M16 rifle with six magazines and 15 rounds of caliber 5.56 mm ammunition.

Based on his revelation, alias Nonoy appeared to be a peasant organizer of the Mataloto Farmers Association and a member of an underground mass organization (UGMO) where he functioned as an armorer, among others. He went on lie low with the UGMO, Pambansang Katipunan ng Mambubukid (PKM).

Sometime in 2002, his nephew, a certain alias Gamay, left with him an M16 rifle. He kept the weapon since alias Gamay died sometime later in an encounter with government forces at the vicinity of Sitio Taghoy, Barangay Bagabao, Leyte, Leyte.

Induced by the recent surfacing and surrender of lie-low cpp-npa-ndf members and supporters in the area of operation of the 802nd Brigade, alias Nonoy decided to return to the mainstream of the society by turning over the weapon. He also revealed that he was tired of continuously hiding from government forces operating in the area.

On the other hand, a certain alias Itchoy, who claimed to be a member of a local NPA unit led by one alias Botoy, voluntarily surrendered with a KG9 submachine gun.

Recruited by one alias Kael in 2015, alias Itchoy revealed to have undergone military training under alias Botoy and had attended meetings with the Batakang Organisasyon sa Partido (BOP) in Barangays Capinyahan and Sta. Cruz, both in Villaba, Leyte in early 2017.

Alias Itchoy, 26 years old and resident of Barangay Tag-abaca, Leyte, also claimed that a certain Geronimo Maceda alias Maning, then secretary of sub-regional committee Levox, Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee (EVRPC), together with nine others visited their encampment at “Diversion” in Barangay Cabungahan, Villaba.

He said he went on lie-low in December 2018 when the promised salary and other offers made by alias Kael were not realized and he wanted to be with his sickly mother at Brgy Tagaytay, Kananga, Leyte.

Alias Botoy is believed to be the same Nicolas P. Ibanez who died in a clash with 93IB, PA in Calubian, Leyte earlier this year. Alyas Itchoy also revealed that he doesn’t want to suffer the same fate that happened to alyas Botoy, hence he surrendered.

Recently, he noticed the formal return to the fold of the law of many cpp-npa-ndf members and followers that he was encouraged to follow suit in order to live a normal life.

Both alias Nonoy and alias Itchoy admitted they were having difficulties living as fugitives because of their past association with the cpp-npa-ndf that their recent surrender is a great relief.

More than two thousand lie-low and active cpp-npa-ndf members and mass supporters either surfaced or surrendered themselves recently to the operating units of 802nd Brigade in the provinces of Biliran, Leyte and Southern Leyte.

Brigadier General Zosimo A. Oliveros, 802nd Brigade Commander welcomed the surrender of the two cpp-npa-ndf members. He said that the revelation of the two surrenderers is an indication of the near extinction of the remaining armed components of the cpp-npa-ndf terrorists in the province of Leyte. Brigadier General Oliveros also calls on the remaining cpp-npa-ndf to surrender, else the government forces will continue to hunt them in order to secure and protect the peace-loving people in the area.

“Now is the best time for the enemies of the people like the cpp-npa-ndf members to return to the mainstream of the society as the present government is giving them the great opportunity to live a normal life once again,” Brig. Gen. Zosimo A. Oliveros, Commander of the 802nd Brigade, concluded.

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