5 NPA rebels yield in S. Kudarat, claim struggle going nowhere

From the Philippine News Agency (May 19, 2022): 5 NPA rebels yield in S. Kudarat, claim struggle going nowhere (By Edwin Fernandez)

TIRED FIGHTERS. Five communist rebels operating in the mountains of Lebak, Sultan Kudarat, pledge allegiance to the Philippine flag after their surrender Wednesday (May 18, 2022) in Upi, Maguindanao. The group also turned in eight high-powered firearms during their surrender. (Photo courtesy of 57IB)

Some five more communist New people’s Army (NPA) rebels operating in Sultan Kudarat province have surrendered to military authorities, saying they have been fighting for a futile cause.

“It is better to live with their loved ones than fighting a lost cause,” said one of the surrenderers, who identified himself only as “Ka Abel,” in a statement Thursday.

The rebels turned over their rifles to the Army’s 57th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Mirab, Upi, Maguindanao, Wednesday afternoon.

The group’s firearms consisted of a sniper rifle, a Garand rifle, and a 12-gauge shotgun.

They also helped the Army in locating and retrieving other NPA firearms -- an M60 machine gun and three M16 rifles – kept in the hinterlands of Lebak town.

Lt. Col. Jonathan Pondanera, the 57IB commander, said the surrenderers used to operate under the NPA's Far South Mindanao Region.

Major General Juvymax Uy, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division and concurrent head of Joint Task Force Central, hailed the rebels' surrender.

“The decision of the NPA group to return to the folds of the law will surely bring happiness to their families and loved ones and the people of Lebak,” Uy told reporters here.

He urged other NPA guerrillas to follow the footsteps of their comrades who are now back in the mainstream society to live normal lives.

Since January this year, more than 60 NPA combatants have availed of various livelihood packages after they decided to surrender to the government.

The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

The Anti-Terrorism Council also formally designated the NDF as a terrorist organization on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and inseparable part” of the CPP-NPA that was created in April 1973.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1174824