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Friday, March 29, 2024

More New People’s Army Members Return To The Folds Of The Law

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Davao del Norte –  Following last year’s snowball of surrender of high profile NPA personalities in 60thInfantry Battalion’s area of operation, more members of the remaining guerilla front confronted by the unit surrenders to 60IB’s Balik-Loob Assistance Center. Recently, three (3) members of the Weakened Guerilla Front 3 (WGF 3), Sub-Regional Committee 4, Southern Mindanao Regional Committee and one (1) former member of the dismantled Guerilla Front 33 surrendered to CAA Ongging Masaloon and Datu Dungcog Tumagsa at Tawinian Patrol Base, Barangay Gupitan of Kapalong, Davao del Norte.

The surrender was made possible through the initial establishment of contact of the surrenderees to a former courier of WGF3 and the facilitation of 60IB’s Bravo Company and the battalion’s intelligence section. Upon surrender, they were presented to 60IB Commander, Lt. Col. Ronaldo Sarmiento.

Two (2) of the surrenderees are members of the Ata-Manobo tribe while the others are from the Umayamnon-Manobo and Tiguahanon tribe. Upon surrender, they brought with them one (1) M16A1 rifle and a magazine.

While the surrenderees were recruited by different CPP-NPA personalities, they admitted that they suffered the same fate inside the communist terrorist group (i.e., hunger, exhaustion, abuse). The surrenderees recall that they were earlier convinced to join the terrorist group due to the free education and financial assistance to their families that the group promised upon recruiting them.

Alyas Mario, who held a key position in WGF3, revealed that he was involved in various encounters against government forces since 2015. He also mentioned that he has occupied several positions in the group, including the position of a political instructor, commander of a platoon, and was even responsible for recruiting some of the members of their group. According to Mario, he was able to marry Alyas Jane, one of his recruits, inside the organization in 2016. They were able to have children inside the organization but the couple was saddened due to the fact that they have to leave their children inside the Haran Compound in Davao City in order to keep them from the dangers of their work. However, Haran, which serves as refuge to family members and relative of CPP-NPA-NDF members, failed to provide financial assistance, food and other logistical needs of their family members and relatives. As a result, they acquired illnesses and suffered from extreme hunger.

After years of constantly witnessing his life threatened and not receiving any of the assistance nor education that was earlier promised to him and his family, adding to it the difficult way of life inside the communist terrorist group, Mario and his wife together with two (2) other women fighters decided to finally end their struggle and return to the folds of the law.

In a statement, Lt. Col Sarmiento said that the CPP-NPA-NDF destroys lives and families. He said that 60IB will not stop and will continue to conduct Civil-Military Operations, Intelligence Operations, and Focused Military Operations until all areas under its operational responsibility is cleared from the communist terrorist group’s affectation. He then appealed to the remaining members of WGF 3 to surrender and no longer wait for more lives to perish. He further promised to bring the necessary assistance to the surrenderees and that he expects that more of the remaining members be encouraged to surrender given the unit’s treatment of other surrenderees and the continuous developmental efforts of 60IB in communist affected communities.

The surrenderees are currently under the custody of 60IB. They have undergone complete physical and medical examination and will soon be enrolled to the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program where they may get livelihood assistance and cash remuneration for the surrendered firearm.
(Michael Manguhig, RPN DXKT Davao OIC)

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