GOV. Aris Aumentado presides over the oath-taking of 11 rebel returnees in Bohol. (Contributed photo)
CEBU CITY – A group of former rebels from Bohol province took an oath to signify their complete abandonment of the communist movement.
The oath-taking by 11 former members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front was held during the joint Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) and Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council (PADAC) meeting at the Capitol on Dec. 12.
Gov. Erico Aristotle Aumentado presided over the joint meeting. Present during the meeting were Department of the Interior and Local Government-Bohol Provincial Director John Joan Mende, Bohol Provincial Police Office chief Police Col. Patricio Degay Jr., and officials from the 47th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, the Provincial Prosecution Office, the Center for Drug Education and Counselling (CeDEC), the Bohol ECLIP Committee Secretariat, and other peace and order stakeholders in the province.
Aumentado, known for his deep concern for the people and strong advocacy for peace and currently serves as chairperson of the Local Amnesty Board (LAB)-Bohol, strongly encouraged former rebels to abandon the ideology and pursue solutions to grievances through peaceful means.
“We are thankful for the united effort of our counterparts from government agencies to make the surrender possible. Let us move forward to a peaceful and progressive community,” said Aumentado.
Rebel returnees were three women from Ubay, Trinidad, and Sagbayan and eight men from Talibon, Candijay, Trinidad, Ubay, Batuan, and Sagbayan.
They pledged their sincere return to mainstream society before Aumentado.
The peace initiative was conducted under the leadership of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict-Bohol Province, represented by focal person Romeo Teruel, with the support of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) and peace and order authorities.
The 11 former rebels will undergo a deradicalization program and other processes as surrenderers.