Eastern Samar NPA fighter yields after leader’s death

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 29, 2024): Eastern Samar NPA fighter yields after leader’s death (By Sarwell Meniano)

LEAVING NPA. New People's Army fighter Lando Yape turns over his firearms to Lt. Col. Joseph Bugaoan, commander of the Army's 78th Infantry Battalion, during his surrender on July 27, 2024. The death of a squad leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Eastern Samar has encouraged him to voluntarily turn himself in to the Philippine Army. (Photo courtesy of Army's 78th Infantry Battalion)

TACLOBAN CITY – The death of a squad leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Eastern Samar has persuaded a fighter to voluntarily surrender and turn over firearms to the authorities, the Philippine Army reported on Monday.

The Army’s 78th Infantry Battalion (78IB) said that Lando Yape, alias Rose, a combatant of the recently dismantled Apoy platoon, turned himself in to soldiers on Saturday after learning about the death of their leader.

He also surrendered his firearms and other war materiel in Barangay Domrog, General MacArthur town in the province of Eastern Samar.

Yape turned over two M16 rifles, 10 magazines, 284 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition, other significant war materiel, and his personal belongings.

His surrender came two days after the death of their squad leader, Joel Gaurino, alias Duran, in a clash on July 25 in Osmeña village, also in General MacArthur town.

Lt. Col. Joseph Bugaoan, commander of the Army's 78th Infantry Battalion, said in a statement that Yape belonged to the group of Gaurino, but he managed to escape the firefight. He eventually made contact with members of his family, who arranged his surrender.

“Yape’s surrender is attributed to the relentless conduct of follow-on and pursuit operations coupled with peace and development activities to continuously build a connection with the communities and further gain the trust of the people,” Bugaoan said in a statement on Monday.

He said this was also made possible by the E-FReE Families program, or the enhanced friend-rescued engagement program of the Army's 802nd Infantry Brigade, which enabled Yape’s family to immediately seek military help.

To recall, the FReE Families program was launched in late 2023 in Borongan City, Eastern Samar, with the aim to counteract the hate spread by NPA propagandists and address the danger and anxiety faced by the families of NPA members.

The initiative uses the power of the familial love of active NPA members to encourage them to abandon the armed struggle and live a normal and peaceful life.

Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Noel Vestuir, commander of the 802nd Infantry Brigade, commended the troops for the follow-through.

He anticipates that more NPA members will soon give up the armed struggle as their will to fight has been destroyed.

“This is only the beginning and expect more to come out in the open and surrender to government forces; they have been demoralized after the successive encounters and deaths of their leaders and members. We won’t stop until it is done,” Vestuir added.

The neutralization of NPA leaders and members left the remnants of the newly dismantled platoon leaderless and without direction. The Apoy platoon has only 14 remaining members as of this week.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1230001