Kalinaw News: Communist insurgency crumbling in Northern Luzon following the surrender of 3 CTG members

Posted to Kalinaw News (Jan 23, 2022): Communist insurgency crumbling in Northern Luzon following the surrender of 3 CTG members



Camp Aquino, Tarlac City – “Communist Insurgency is crumbling in Northern Luzon,” said Maj. Gen. Andrew Costelo, Acting Commander of the Northern Luzon Command, following the surrender of three (3) Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) members with their firearms to the troops of the 86th Infantry Battalion of the Joint Task Force (JTF) Tala at Sitio Jet, Barangay Rizal, San Guillermo, Isabela on January 22, 2022.

Maj. Gen. Costelo disclosed that “In a report submitted by the Joint Task Group (JTG) Liberator Commander, Brig. Gen. Danilo Benavides, the surrendered personalities were members of the Regional Sentro de Gravidad (RSDG) and are residents of Barangay Villagracia, Maddela, Quirino. Their names are being withheld for the meantime pending results of their initial debriefing.”

“With their willingness to yield to the government and chose the path for peace, they also brought alongside with them two (2) m16 rifles with two (2) short magazines, three (3) long magazine and 26 live 5.56 ammunition which manifests their complete abandonment of the armed movement of the communist terrorists,” Maj. Gen. Costelo said.

In a statement, Brig. Gen. Danilo Benavidez, Commander of the 502nd Infantry Brigade and JTG Liberator, whose area of operations covers the provinces of Isabela and Quirino, said that the “the success of the mission of going back to the folds of the law of the 3 CTG members is attributed to the hardworking men and women of the 86th Infantry Battalion under Lt Col Joseph Flores, our police counterparts, and to our partner stakeholders who are always on 24/7 in helping us end the local communist armed conflict.”

Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Laurence Mina, Commander of the 5th Infantry Division and JTF Tala expressed his gratitude to the community and stakeholders.

Maj. Gen. Mina futher said that “the collaborative efforts of the military, police, and partner stakeholders resulted a series of success in our campaign to end armed conflict in the Cagayan Valley region.”

“It will only be a matter of time before Communist Insurgency will be totally decimated in this part of the country, ” said Maj. Gen. Mina.

In closing, Maj. Gen. Costelo also thanked the dedication of the troops and the unwavering support of the stakeholders. He also appealed to the remaining members of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) to peacefully lay down their arms and go back to the folds of the law. He said that “the government is always here to help you go back to your normal lives. You are victims of the lies and deceptions of selfish leaders of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG). Start anew and avail of the government’s Enhanced-Comprehensive Livelihood Integration Program (E-CLIP).”

Maj. Gen. Costelo assured the peace-loving citizen that “the NoLCom will be relentless in its campaign to end the local communist armed conflict in the northern and central Luzon. Your active and dedicated involvement in this campaign has been proven effective and primarily the key to the series of successes.”

Since January 1 of this year, a total of 61 members of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) surrendered to the government forces and chose peaceful living.

“If the trend of those CTG members going back to the folds of the law complemented by our successes in the civil-military cooperation continue, there is no doubt that we attain to end the local communist armed conflict by the end of President Duterte’s term,” Maj. Gen Costelo added.

Three (3) Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) members with their firearms surrendered to the troops of the 86th Infantry Battalion of the Joint Task Force (JTF) Tala at Sitio Jet, Barangay Rizal, San Guillermo, Isabela on January 22, 2022.

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