CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna – Fifty-one members of the New People’s Army (NPA) have decided to lay down their arms and return to the fold of the law behind the efforts of joint police and military in the CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon), a report here said on Thursday.
Police Regional Office 4A (PRO4A) regional director Brig. Gen. Antonio Yarra said that the forces of Regional Mobile Force Battalion-4A (RMFB4A) along with the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Southern Luzon (AFP-SL), conducted intensive cooptation in the region.
This resulted in a voluntary surrender of the 51 former rebels in which 20 were Ganap na Kasapi while the 31 others belonged to Kandidatong Kasapi. Of the 51, seven voluntarily surrendered from the Red Area and 44 were co-opted from the White Area.
According to RMFB 4A, force commander Col. Ledon D. Monte, the former rebels admitted they are tired of the NPA ideologies made worse by extreme scarcity of food, fear of hiding, and fear for their lives.
In his message to the said surrenderers, Monte said: “Kagaya ng mga naunang natulungan ng RMFB-4A noong nagdaang taon, kayo din ay aming tutulungan para malinis ang inyong pangalan at maproseso ang mga nararapat na insentibo upang magamit ninyo sa pagbabagong buhay. Sa mga kasamahan naman natin na patuloy pa din na umaakap sa maling ideolohiya ng komunismo lalo na ang paghawak ng armas at paglaban sa gobyerno ay aming inaanyayahan na gumaya sa ating mga kapatid na ngayon ay namumuhay ng payapa at tahimik na buhay. Ang mahigit limang dekada ng paglilinlang at paglaban sa gobyerno ay ating wakasan na”. (Similar to those who were helped by the RMFB-4A in the past year, we will also help you to cleanse your names and process the necessary incentives that you may use in your new lives. To those who continue to cling to the wrong ideology of communism, especially in being armed and fighting against the government, we encourage them to join their former comrades who are now living peaceful and quiet lives. Let us end the more than five decade-fight against the government).
The joint personnel from 59th Infantry Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, Philippine Army, Mauban Municipal Police Station, Regional Intelligence Unit 4-PIT, 1st Quezon Provincial Mobile Force Company and Provincial Intelligence Unit facilitated the reorientation and redirection of seven alleged members of CPP-NPA-NDF (Milisya ng Bayan/Sangay ng Partido sa Lokalidad). All are residents of Barangay Sta. Catalina, Atimonan, Quezon.
“A lot of efforts to end local terrorism have been exerted by the government but still, there is a need for continuous education in our communities on the harm brought by this CPP/NPA/NDF in their families and in their communities. We call for the support of everyone to act against these groups and guard their families against its deceptive manipulations.” Yarra said.