ILOILO CITY – A total of 259 former rebels and allies in Iloilo and Capiz provinces withdrew their support from the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing of the New People’s Army (NPA) on Friday, January 8.
The withdrawal of support was signified by their oath of allegiance to the government during a ceremony held Friday in Calinog town, Iloilo province.
The ceremony was undertaken by the Western Visayas Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (Western Visayas RTF-ELCAC), which saw a drawback in its campaign when nine alleged rebels and supporters were killed in police raids last December 30, 2020.
The 259 former rebels and Leftist supporters were mostly from the mountain barangays of Calinog and the border town of Tapaz in Capiz province. Authorities have identified these areas as alleged NPA hotspots.
The Legal Cooperation Cluster of the Western Visayas RTF-ELCAC is now conducting interviews with each of the 259 surrenderers to determine their involvement in the Communist movement.
Those who pledged allegiance have to submit judicial affidavits for the government to determine what kind of assistance will be extended to them.