CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- A high-ranking platoon official of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) has surrendered to the Police Regional Office of Northern Mindanao (PRO-10) on Wednesday afternoon, April 6.
Brig. Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr., PRO-10 director, presented alias Bradong to the regional headquarters at Camp 1Lt Vicente G Alagar, Lapasan village in this city.
Alias Brabong is a commanding officer of Platoon 3, Sub-Regional Committee 5 (SRC5), North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC. He is from San Rafael village, Talakag town in Bukidnon.
In a statement, Acorda confirmed the said NPA rebel was one of those responsible for the abduction of one police personnel of Kalilangan Municipal Police Station in Bukidnon, who was released after two months and 18 days of captivity.
Brabong's guerilla front was also involved in extortion activities victimizing businesses, farmers and construction companies under the SRC-5, NCMRC's operational sphere, Acorda added.
Lt. Col. Michelle Olaivar, PRO-10 spokesperson, told Manila Bulletin the said alias Bradong was able to surrender after he communicated with a former rebel, who also previously surrendered to PRO-10.
"He communicated to a former rebel, who also surrendered to us. That was the start. When we confirmed, we immediately fetched him in Talakag town," Olaivar said.
Brabong also surrendered two high-powered firearms. These include one M72 Light Anti-tank Weapon (LAW) Caliber 66mm Rocket Launcher and one M1919 Browning Caliber 30 Machine Gun with 228 rounds of linked ammo with defaced serial number.
The police director lauded the Regional Intelligence Division for the intelligence-driven effort, which resulted in the surrender of the NPA commanding officer.
He believed the coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), as well as the community has a huge contribution in convincing the NPA rebels to surrender to the government.
“Our joint efforts with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the relentless support and cooperation of the community had greatly contributed in effectively persuading other members of the communist terrorist groups to lay down their arms and to participate on the government’s campaign," he said.
The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
The National Democratic Front (NDF) has been formally designated as a terrorist organization by the Anti-Terrorism Council on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and inseparable part” of the CPP-NPA created in April 1973.