The Philippine Army has released Wednesday close to P900, 000 as payments for weapons surrendered by at least 8 dozen communist rebels in Mindanao, officials said.
The funding came from the military’s Guns for Peace Program which aims to lure members of the New People’s Army to surrender peacefully and rejoin society on top of various government livelihood assistance.
At least 97 rebels who surrendered in separate groups and individually last month were gathered and presented to Philippine military chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista in Prosperidad town in Agusan del Sur province. Bautista was in the province to accept the rebels.
Bautista was accompanied by Lt. Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command; and Maj. Gen. Ricardo Visaya, commander of the 4th Infantry Division.
Army spokesman Capt. Alberto Caber said among those who surrendered were two women. He said majority of the rebels were local tribesmen recruited by the NPA to fight the government and that about a dozen of them had been joined the rebel group in their teens.
He said some P4.2 million in aid had been released the past 9 months by the Eastern Mindanao Command to 204 NPA rebels who surrendered under the so-called Pagbabalik Loob Program.
Cruz has urged rebels to surrender peacefully and avail of the government amnesty program so they can rejoin their family and live a peaceful life.
He also praised those who surrendered. “You can now start a new life with your loved ones and be a productive citizen in your respective communities.
Your Armed Forces is sincere in its mandate in protecting the people. The rebels are now into extortion activities, arson, and attacking innocent civilians and properties. In other words, they are now bandits, terrorists, and we expect more rebels to surrender,” he said.
There was no immediate statement from the NPA on the surrender of its members. The rebel group has been waging a secessionist war for decades now in an effort to overthrow the democratic government and install a communist state in the country. Peace talks between Manila and the NPA collapsed in 2004.
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Photos released by the Eastern Mindanao Command to the Mindanao Examiner regional newspaper show NPA surrenderors presented to Philippine military chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista who was accompanied by Lt. Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command; and Maj. Gen. Ricardo Visaya, commander of the 4th Infantry Division.
http://www.mindanaoexaminer.net/2014/05/philippine-army-pays-weapons-money-to.html
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