CAMP DIEGO SILANG, La Union-- The government's
anti-terrorism campaign scored a major victory when a high-ranking officer of
the New People's Army (NPA) operating in the Ilocos and Cordillera regions
surrendered on Monday.
Senior Supt Angelito Dumangeng, La Union Police director,
identified the rebel leader as Manuel Arpid, alias "Ka Manuel", of
Tinglayan, Kalinga province, who served as a political affairs officer of the
rebel group.
Arpid also turned over to authorities an M14 U.S. rifle allegedly
used by rebel snipers.
Dumangeg said the surrender of "Ka Manuel" was the
result of intensified intelligence monitoring by joint operatives of La Union
intelligence operatives, the Regional Intelligence Division, Criminal
Investigation and Detection Group, and military units.
“The successful and non-violent means to win over our
brothers to rejoin the society’s mainstream, is our earnest yearning for them
to have healthier and better lives,” Dumangeng said.
Arpid called on his comrades to lay down their arms and live
normal lives with their families.
The rebel returnee joined the NPA in 1980. His two-decade
armed struggle caused a heavy toll on hishealth. He told reporters he wanted to
recuperate and help his family, adding that what he did was a useless struggle.
Arpid was the third insurgent in La Union this year to
return to the fold of the law after experiencing the harsh life in the
mountains and eventually realizing that armed struggle would not bring them
anywhere.
Under the Comprehensive Local Integration Program, a rebel
returnee is entitled to receive financial support and other government
assistance through the Department of Interior Local Government, Department of
Social Welfare andDevelopment and their respective local government units.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=853332
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