TACLOBAN CITY – Seven New People’s Army rebels surrendered to the 78th Infantry (Warrior) Battalion through the FReE Families program recently.

SEVEN communist fighters recently surrendered under the FReE Families program.
Brig. Gen. Noel Vestuir, commander of the 802nd Infantry (Peerless) Brigade, said the surrenderers were part of the Apoy Platoon under the Sub-Regional Committee (SRC) codenamed “Sesame” operating in the hinterlands between the boundaries of Eastern and Western Samar.
They, whose names were withheld pending completion of security protocols, occupied positions in the Apoy Platoon, from squad leader, vice squad leader, finance and medical officers, and squad members.
They revealed the location of an arms cache composed of two M16 rifles, an M14 rifle, an M653 carbine, and other war materials in the hinterlands of Borongan City.
The Army attributed the surrender of these communist rebels to the continuous engagement with their families through the FReE Families program.
The program has resulted in 15 surrenderers from the two provinces.
Vestuir thanked the families of the seven surrenderers for convincing their loved ones to abandon the armed struggle and return to them.
"We have once again proven that the love of family conquers the hate that the terrorist CPP-NPA-NDF sowed in the hearts of their recruits as part of their Agitate-Organize-Mobilize (AOM) methods of radicalizing our people to support their evil intentions," he said.