An alleged commander of the New People’s Army (NPA) surrendered his entire squad’s cache of high-powered firearms in Misamis Oriental, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) disclosed on Sunday.
New People’s Army (MANILA BULLETIN)
Lieutenant General Felimon Santos Jr., commander of Eastern Mindanao Command (AFP-EastMinCom), said the NPA commander, known only by his alias “Lakay”, surrendered to elements of 58th Infantry Battalion (IB) his squad’s arms cache consisting of two M16 rifles and two AK 47 rifles.
The arms cache was hidden in the squad’s former base at Balatukan Complex in Balingasag town.
Santos said Lakay first surrendered to authorities in Claveria, Misamis Oriental on Thursday, bringing along with him his firearm, an AK 47 rifle.
Santos said this was part of the government’s intensified efforts to quash communist insurgency before President Duterte’s term ends in 2022.
“We are confident that our efforts of reaching out to the members of the CTG [communist-terrorist group] is continuously gaining ground. It is expected that CTGs will be stashing their firearms, for what is firearms without personnel?” Santos asked.
Meanwhile, 23 members of Militia ng Bayan (MB) and 160 members of Underground Mass Organization (UGMO) surrendered to the 75th Infantry Battalion and village officials in Trento, Agusan Del Sur on Friday.
Santos said that for the first 11 months of 2019, a total of 696 NPA regulars have already surrendered to authorities in the region.
This translates to an average of two NPA surrenderers per day, he said
In the same period, some 1,050 members of MB have surrendered while 4,402 UGMO members have severed their connection with the CTG, the military official added.
The surrenderers have brought with them a total of 689 firearms of various calibers, Santos concluded.
https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/12/01/alleged-npa-commander-yields-entire-squads-arms-cache/
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