Seven teenage members of the New People’s Army (NPA) Milisyang Bayan surrendered to the government in Rosario, Batangas and will be with their families this Christmas.
The surrender of the young communist guerillas aged 13 to 17 was a joint effort of the Sampangan Barangay Task Force to end Local Communist Armed Conflict, 59th Infantry Battalion, and the Rosario and San Juan, Batangas Municipal Police Stations.
They were identified as alias “Emaw,” “Angel,” “Ben,” “Diane,” “Kathlyn,” “Mariz,” and “Itog” and residents of Sitio Lamesang Bato in Barangay Sampito and Sitio Ibaba Pinagkawaran in Barangay Sapangan in Rosario.
The surrenderers were part of Sinag 1 from the Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee's Sub-Regional Military Area 4C.
The Army lauded their surrender.
"International Humanitarian Law prohibits the recruitment and use of children in hostilities. For years, the CPP-NPA-NDF's recruitment scheme has caused monumental destruction to the rights and welfare of Filipino youth, including those who joined their armed component that died fighting for their terroristic ideologies. Thus, we denounce this violation of human rights. We urge the few remaining NPA members to lay down their arms and return to the folds of the law so that they can spend a joyous Christmas with their loved ones," Major Gen. Roberto S. Capulong, 2nd Infantry Division chief, said.