Three more members of a New People’s Army (NPA) unit operating in the hinterlands of Sarangani and Davao Occidental provinces surrendered on Wednesday to government troops in the area.
Capt. Rey Balibagoso, spokesperson of the Army’s 1002nd Brigade, said Thursday the rebels yielded to members of the peace and development team of the 73rd Infantry Battalion (IB) during an outreach activity in Barangay Tamban in Malungon, Sarangani.
He said the three, whose identities are withheld for security reasons, gave up an M-16 Armalite rifle with magazine and 27 bullets that was reportedly issued by the rebel group.
“They came forward during a peace building seminar being conducted by our troops and signified their desire to surrender,” he said.
Baligoso said the 73rd IB led by its commanding officer Lt. Col. Patricio Ruben Amata and local government officials present during the activity immediately processed the surrender of the three rebels.
During their debriefing, the official said the surrenderees claimed to be members of the Platoon 2 of the NPA’s Front 75.
He said the three, who came from the B’laan tribe, were earlier recruited by the NPA to become a part of its “yunit militia” in the area.
The rebel unit had reportedly participated in NPA operations in the past months in the mountainous boundaries of Malungon, Sarangani and Malita in Davao Occidental.
Balibagoso said the rebels decided to surrender after becoming enlightened with the programs and projects of the local and national governments for the poor and the tribal residents of the area.
“They were also victims of various empty promises offered by NPA leaders during their recruitment,” he said.
Citing revelations by the previous surrenderees, he said NPA leaders usually offer their recruits with regular salaries and other benefits that never materialize.
Balibagoso said they will assist the enlistment of the three surrenderees into the national government’s flagship Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP).
In the last three years, the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the provincial government of
The former rebels received various livelihood assistance ranging from PHP5,000 to PHP50,000 each.
CLIP reintegrates former rebels into the social mainstream and uplifts their socio-economic conditions to enable them to become active partners in the local development.
The program also seeks to contribute towards the achievement of the goal of permanent peaceful closure of all armed conflicts with non-state armed groups.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=665693
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.