COTABATO CITY – Government forces arrested two New People’s Army rebels in Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat on Wednesday, July 26.
Major Gen. Rillera, 6th Infantry Division commander, said these communist guerrillas were collared by the 33rd Infantry Battalion led by Lt. Col. Paul Baldomar in Barangay Hinalaan amid the ongoing intensified internal security operations by security forces in the coastal towns of Sultan Kudarat.
Rillera said they yielded a Garand rifle and a fragmentation grenade.
Brig. Gen. Michael Santos, 603rd Infantry Brigade commander, said troops have been deployed to conduct manhunt operations against NPA rebels who have yet to surrender and return to the fold of the law.
“Our troops remain steadfast to hunt down the remaining NPA rebels who were out to destabilize the peace and security in the area,” Santos said.
Rillera urged the NPA rebels to surrender voluntarily and take advantage of the government’s localized peace initiatives in which surrenderers are provided with livelihood assistance from local government units.