Samar town sets ultimatum for rebels to surrender

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 2, 2021): Samar town sets ultimatum for rebels to surrender (By Roel Amazona)

ULTIMATUM. Matuguinao, Samar Mayor Aran Boller in this undated photo. Members of the New People’s Army (NPA) and their supporters in the town of Matuguinao, Samar are given until February 15 to surrender to the government or face charges, Boller said on Monday (Feb. 1, 2021). (PNA file photo)

Members of the New People’s Army (NPA) and their supporters in the town of Matuguinao, Samar are given until February 15 to surrender to the government or face charges.

This was the ultimatum set by Mayor Aran Boller and Philippine Army’s 19th Infantry Battalion commanding officer Lt. Col. Jasper Justito Pecson in a meeting with officials from the town’s 20 villages on Jan. 29.

“We are trying all we can to end the insurgency problem in my town if possible this year or maybe next year,” Boller said in an interview on Monday. “If they do not surrender before February 15, we will look for evidence to file charges against them.”

He added that they can use those who have already surrendered as witnesses in filing charges against NPA members and supporters, including community officials.

Those refusing to yield to the government will face charges for violating the Anti-Terrorism Act by collaborating with the communist terrorist group, according to the mayor.

“We need to end this problem for us to have peace. If there is peace, there is development. We cannot achieve development for as long as there are NPA, especially in our far-flung villages,” Boller told reporters.

“If we continue to fear this terrorist group they will continue to fool us. When will we have freedom from fear? Our government's only desire is to help its people,” he added.

Aside from facing charges in court, individuals who will fail to surrender before Feb. 15 may be declared as persona non-grata by their respective villages.

Since the intensified campaign to end-local insurgency problem in the municipality, members, and supporters of the communist group have been surrendering to the government, the town mayor said.

Matuguinao is very important to the communist group because it is strategically located in the tri-boundary of the three provinces of Samar Island, according to Pecson.

Villages that are still influenced by rebels are Del Rosario, Ligaya, Carolina, San Roque, Inubob, Rizal, Mahayag. These communities are near the boundary of Northern Samar and Eastern Samar provinces.

Some officials from those areas are no longer living in their respective villages but staying at the town center for fear of their safety.

“Once these villages are cleared, they will be identified as beneficiaries of the retooled community support program (RCSP), a whole-of-nation approach, that seeks to address the identified issues of the community by bridging the governance and development gaps, and providing the community their needs, and ensuring that development is sustained and peace is promoted,” Pecson said.

Matuguinao is a fifth-class town in Samar province with a population of 7,288 people. The town is 105 kilometers from Tacloban City, the regional capital.

The NPA, which has been waging a five-decade armed struggle against the government, is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1129283