Soldiers' liberation of NPA recruits drumbeat National Heroes' Day

By PA 2ID DPAO September 3, 2020 The surrender of 60 former rebels, 57 Mangyans from Mindoro Island and three former rebels belong to t...

By PA 2ID DPAO
September 3, 2020

The surrender of 60 former rebels, 57 Mangyans from Mindoro Island and three former rebels belong to the Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee's Main Regional Guerilla Unit, the main fighting unit of the NPA highlights Southern Tagalog's celebration of this year's National Heroes Day. (Photo: PA 2ID DPAO)

CAMP CAPINPIN, Tanay, Rizal - The liberation of 60 former rebels from the clutches of terrorism highlights Southern Tagalog's celebration of this year's National Heroes' Day.

About 57 of the surrenders were Mangyans from Mindoro Island while the rest were former NPA terrorists who used to operate in CALABARZON.





According to BGen Alex Rillera, Commander of the 202nd Brigade which has operational jurisdiction over northern Quezon, the three former rebels who surrendered to his soldiers belong to the Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee's Main Regional Guerilla Unit which is the main fighting unit of the NPA.

"Alias Ed, alias Willy and alias Bong decided to turn their backs from the underground movement on Aug 24 after a series of local peace negotiations held in Brgy Pandan of Real town which were spearheaded by Quezon s Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict or PTF ELCAC", said BGen Rillera.





He added that "the identity and NPA membership of the three surrenderers were identified and validated by alias Honey, a former rebel who surrendered to the local peace negotiating team early this year."

BGen Rillera ended his statement by expressing optimism that "the communist terrorists will never be able to recover from their unprecedented losses in this part of the country, thus, we are confident that Region 4A will soon be liberated from threats and atrocities of the NPAs."

Relatedly, the Army's 203rd Brigade has facilitated the return to mainstream society of 57 former rebels from the island of Mindoro.

Colonel Jose Augusto Villarreal, Commander of the 203rd Brigade which covers MIMARO provinces, said "the mass exodus was a result of two separate local peace negotiations held in the mountain communities of Occidental Mindoro on August 26 and 27 following the historic visit of government officials in the far-flung areas of Mindoro aboard military helicopters."

The visit was in relation to the unprecedented delivery of basic services to around 800 Mangyans from Buhid tribe as part of the national government s Retooled Community Support Program or RCSP.

Col Villareal added that "nine NPA regulars and 48 militias admitted their affiliations to SRMA 4D's KLG MAV which operates and terrorises the hinterland communities of the province."

"These never-before-seen number of surrenders in Mindoro is a tangible proof of the security forces and the local government units headways in counterinsurgency which indicates that genuine peace and development in the island is finally within reach," ended Col Villareal.

The former rebels will undergo the process of enrolment to the government s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program or E-CLIP which offers as much as Php700,000 worth of immediate, livelihood and reintegration packages to qualified beneficiaries.

MGen Arnulfo Marcelo B Burgos Jr, Commander of the Army's 2nd Infantry Division, branded the former rebels as "heroes of modern times whose act of turning their backs from armed struggle is a crucial step toward the much coveted national healing and unity in our beloved country."

He reaffirmed his commitment that "these former rebels and those who will decide to give up their arms in the coming days will be assisted by our troops in claiming their benefits, ensuring their safety and promoting their well-being as they rejoin our society as responsible and productive Filipinos."

Maj Gen Burgos ended his statement by saying that "heroism is not only about dying for our flag and country but, more importantly, by being part of the solution to the numerous problems which our country is facing" while reiterating his call to the few remaining NPA terrorists in Southern Tagalog to "give up your arms and be the hero who champions peace and development, be the hero whom our citizens truly deserve."

Since the implementation of E-CLIP, the 2nd Infantry Division has already facilitated the surrender of 661 former rebels across Southern Tagalog.

The identity of the former rebels are being withheld for their security against possible NPA actions. (PIA-4A/PA 2ID DPAO)