NPA couple surrenders

From the Philippine Information Agency (Oct 22, 2020): NPA couple surrenders (By Joseph B. Zambrano)

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet, Oct. 22 (PIA) – For the sake of their child, a couple belonging to the New People’s Army surrendered to authorities and took their oath of allegiance to the government before Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Camilo Pancratius Cascolan at the Cordillera Police Regional Headquarters here last Monday.

Alias “Michael” and “Gian” who presented themselves with their eight-month old baby, said they chose to abandon the armed struggle due to the hardship they experienced in the underground movement like lack of food and various limitations. They said they want to clear their names to the authorities, and to live peacefully with their child. Speaking in Iloco, alias Michael said “it is difficult to keep on running without any directions, with no food and we have our baby that is why we surrendered to the authorities”.

The couple turned over their long firearm and ammunitions and two grenades.

Alias Michael, listed number M8 and alias Gian, listed No. M23, were both members of the Komiteng Larangang Gerilya South Ilocos Sur (KLG-SIS), Iloco-Cordillera Regional Committee (ICRC) of the CPP-NPA.

Cascolan said the police will be more visible in areas where there is NPA presence to let the villagers feel the presence of government in their area and give assistance that they may need.

President Rodrigo Duterte wants to end local communist armed conflicts and instructed government agencies concerned to focus on "conflict-prone" communities in an effort to stop the decades-old communist insurgency in the country. (JDP/JBZ- PIA CAR)

https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1056599