Kalinaw News: A communist terrorist group member yields to government troops in Ilocos Sur

Posted to Kalinaw News (Jan 23, 2022): A communist terrorist group member yields to government troops in Ilocos Sur



Camp Aquino, Tarlac City – January 23, 2022

Combined troops from the 69th Infantry Battalion of the Joint Task Force (JTF) Kaugnay and Philippine National Police (PNP) Provincial Office Ilocos Sur facilitated the voluntary surrender of a Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) member in Barangay Aluling, Cervantes, Ilocos Sur in the afternoon of January 23, 2022.

In a statement, Maj. Gen. Andrew Costelo, Acting Commander of the Northern Luzon Command (NolCom), disclosed that “the surrendered personality as Moises Palacio, a member of a Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) operating in the hinterlands of Ilocos and Abra provinces, yielded the following war materiel; two (2) M16 rifles, one (1) Colt M16A1 rifle, one (1) Elisco M16A1 rifle and two (2) short magazines with two (2) caliber 5.56mm live ammunition.”

Maj. Gen. Costelo further disclosed that “based on the report from the Joint Task Group (JTG) Defender’s Commander Brig. Gen Krishnamurti Mortela, Palacio is a member of platoon Mountain Province (MP) of the Komiteng Larangang Gerilya (KLG) – AMPIS and has been on their watchlist since 2021. “

In another statement, Brig. Gen. Mortela said that “upon further assessment and verification, Palacio was found out to have a standing warrant of arrest for Murder with case No. N-0264 issued by Regional Trial Court Branch 58 of Bucay, Abra on January 26, 2004, and as a result, Palacio is now under the custody of the Municipal Police Station in Cervantes, Ilocos Sur.”

Brig. Gen. Mortela furthered that “the snowball of communist terrorists’ surrenders coupled with the support of the locals through our intensive civil-military cooperation are indicative affirmations of the dying Communist movement in the provinces of Ilocos, Abra, and Mountain Province. ”

Meanwhile, Maj. Gen Costelo extended his congratulations to officers and men of the 69th Infantry Battalion for their dedication and commitment to end terrorism.

Maj. Gen. Costelo also put a premium on the contributions of the local chief executives and the local populace of Ilocos and Abra of their untiring support to end the local communist armed conflict.

“The successful surrender of Palacio is attributable to the collaborative efforts of the 69th Infantry Battalion under Lt. Col. Marcelo Valdez, our PNP counterparts, and the locals of Barangay Aluling, Cervantes, Ilocos Sur who have become vessels of hope and amity for the government in ensuring that the message of peace and reconciliation reaches the former terrorist and persuade him to lay down his arms and return to the fold of the law,” Maj. Gen. Costelo said.

For this day (January 23) alone, NoLCom recorded a total of four (4) members of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) voluntarily surrendered to government forces and decided to go back to the folds of the law.

Maj. Gen. Costelo added that “NoLCom will be unrelenting in our pursuit for peace and development in this part of the country, our relentless offensives continue to press on to totally eradicate the few remaining terrorists in our area, leaving them no other option but to lay down their arms and abandon their armed struggle.”

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

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