BUTUAN CITY/AGUSAN DEL NORTE -- Three members of the communist New People's Army (NPA) voluntarily surrendered to military troops in Claveria town, Misamis Oriental province while close to 1,000 villagers in Las Nieves town in Agusan del Norte denounced the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), and its political arm, the National Democratic Front (NDF) for their alleged sufferings the past several years.
The villagers disclosed their sufferings, including forced taxation imposed by the NPAs on their farm products during their mass surrender and oath of allegiance to the government last week, said Maj. Rodulfo S. Cordero, Jr., chief of the Public Affairs Office (PAO) of the Philippine Army’s 4th Infantry (Diamond) Division (4th ID).
In a statement sent to the Manila Bulletin, 58th Infantry Battalion (IB) (Dimalulupig) Civil Military Operations (CMO) officer 1st Lt. Jefferson M. Mariano said the three surrenderees in Misamis Oriental were “Ka Kiram, 37, Vice Squad leader of Sub-Section Guerilla Unit (SSGU) of the CPP-NPA North Central Mindanao Regional Command (NCMRC), his wife "Ka Jai-Jai," 30, a political instructor of the same unit, and "Ka Cardo," 20, Sandatahang Yunit Pangpropaganda (SYP) of Guerilla Front 4-A (GF4A) of NCMRC.
They also turned over two M16 Armalite rifles with live ammunition.
According to “Ka Jai-jai,” they decided to surrender to the government because they want to spend Christmas with their families.
"For more than 12 years of my stay in the organization, I was not given a chance to spend Christmas with my family. Instead of having rest and spending the holiday with my family, I spend it with non-stop walking in the mountains with my comrades chasing for nothing," she said.
58th IB commander Lt. Col. Ricky L. Canatoy welcomed the returnees and congratulated them for choosing their families over their comrades, and peace over conflict.
In Agusan del Norte, Cordero said 28 members of the NPA Militia ng Bayan (MB) surrendered to the government and 890 Underground Mass Organization (UGMO) withdrew their support to the CNTs and the terroristic activities of the NPA which are seen as the root causes of underdevelopment and suffering of the people in Barangay Durian.
They also voluntarily handed over three caliber 22 rifles, three caliber 357 revolvers, one caliber 38 revolver, one home-made 357 revolver, four shotguns, one power generator, and assorted live ammunition.
The 918 villagers decried the years of exploitations, manipulations, and other terroristic activities of the CPP-NPA-NDF in their village, Cordero said.
They also formally withdrew their support to the CPP-NPA-NDF and vowed to support the initiatives and interventions of the government that will finally bring peace and development to their barangays.
An elder from Barangay Durian, whom the former MB members and UGMO supporters call Alias “Tatay” testified that he was only forced to join the armed movement because of a certain “debt of gratitude” from the CPP-NPA members who claimed that they are the reason why people can live and survive in their barangay, Cordero said.
The mass surrender and taking of the oath of allegiance activity was graced by Las Nieves Mayor Avelina S Rosales, Agusan del Norte Board Member Dick Victor Carmona, Lt. Col, Quintin T. Casabar Jr., commander of the 1st Agusan del Norte Provincial Mobile Force Company, and Lt. Col. Julius Cesar C. Paulo, commander of the 23rd IB.