BUTUAN CITY – An assistant platoon leader, and a medical staff of the New People’s Army (NPA) voluntarily surrendered to the government on Friday with the desire to have a peaceful life with their respective families.
The former rebel (FR) officers wanted also to avail of the assistance and benefits under the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP), according to Butuan City Police Office (BCPO) City Director Col. Canilo A. Fuentes.
Fuentes identified the former FRs as a certain “Botoy”, 22, assistant platoon leader of Squad Uno Sentro de Grabidad (U-SDG), and a certain “Ka Inday”, assistant medical officer of Sandatahang Yunit Pangpropaganda (SYP) Kingdom, both of Guerilla Front 4-A of the CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines)-NPA Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee.
They surrendered at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, August 21, to the BCPO, the Butuan City Mobile Force Company, and operatives of intelligence Platoon of the 23rd Infantry Battalion, and vowed to support the government’s peace and development program, the BCPO city director said.
Identities of the former rebel officers were withheld for their safety.
“Ka Botoy” confirmed during initial investigation that he participated in the harassment of BCPO-Station 5 and Army detachment of 23rd Infantry Battalion (23rd IB), the city police director said.
“We decided to surrender because of the hardship we experienced in the mountains where we thought we were fighting for what is right, but in the end we learned it does not lead us anywhere. We do not know for whom we were fighting for,” the surrendered NPA members said.
“These former rebels officers had already undergone interviews for verification and validation of the authenticity of their involvement with the communist movement, and we are now expediting their clearances as part of their enrollment to the E-CLIP process,” Fuentes added.