7 NPA leaders with 42 other members surrender last month
Forty-nine communist New People's Army members, including seven leaders
yielded to the government troops from 01 October 2010 up to date
following intensified military operations and nation-building activities
all over the country.
The most recent is the surrender of NPA leader identified as Ronald
Balko Pundong alias Brian, a former Medic and team leader of Team Abe,
Squad Premira, Platoon Mazda, Guerilla Front 71, Far Southern Mindanao
Regional Committee, in Saranggani Province on October 23.
Reports reaching the Philippine Army headquarters revealed that Puldong,
plagued by his conscience, opted to surrender upon realizing that the
organization he considered as enemy is the same one that helped his wife
recovered from illness.
Accordingly, last Oct. 7 the Peace and Development Team of 73rd Infantry
Battalion conducted a medical and dental civic action program (MEDCAP)
in Sarangani Province which helped civilians in the area including
Pundong's wife.
Meanwhile, another surrenderee further exposed the NPA's continued
recruitment of minors in the organization.
A certain Kitkity Suyam y Laos alias Ronnie, 24, a regular member of the
Kometing Larangan Gerilya (KLG) Marko, Ilocos-Cordillera Regional
Committee(ICRC) revealed that he was recruited by the group of communist
leader Lupito Wigit Dawala alias Tangkib way back in 2003. Laos was only
17 years old then.
It can be recalled that last September, Menard Dao-ayan and Roland
Tarodan, both former members of the same rebel group, also attested that
they joined the NPA group in their minor age. Dao-ayan revealed that he
was only 17 years old when he was recruited in December 2007; while
Tarodan was barely 18 years old when he joined the NPA in April 2003.
Apparently, despite evidences presented and testimonies from rebel
returnees exposing the organization’s continuous trampling of the
children's rights, the NPA is turning a deaf ear on this issue.
The Philippine Army, however, strongly condemns the NPA's desperate acts
as we call on the true human rights advocates and challenge self
proclaimed human rights groups to condemn the violations of human rights
by the NPA.
Meanwhile, relentless military operations continue to gain ground as 12
NPA members and five others were captured or killed in separate military
operations nationwide from October up to present.
Last November 5, a certain alias Marlon, CO, Independent Platoon of FC83
Central was killed while a certain Joseph Lalaguna, was wounded
following an encounter between government troops and communist group in
Masbate.
The Philippine Army is winning the war against communist insurgents in
the country as evidenced by the recent setbacks of the NPA's in the
series of encounter and increasing number of surrenderees among their
leaders and members.
This is clear manifestation of their desire to embrace a life of peace,
after having been disillusioned by the unfair treatment of the movement.
It also shows the importance of the government’s Social Integration
Program towards achieving the “free-insurgency country” which encourages
these people to return to the folds of the law.
In September 2010, 41 New People's Army members renounced their armed
struggle and embraced a life of peace. Out of 41, six were NPA leaders
and two were minors.
In addition, 18 NPA rebels were apprehended while 14 others were killed.
This relatively low number of rebel apprehension resulted from the
minimal activity of NPA groups in the country, an obvious evidence that
the rebel group has been weakened by the Army's intensified operations
and surrenders from their members.
With this trend, the Philippine Army is expecting an exodus of
surrenderees before 2010 ends as a result of the combat and non-combat
operations conducted by the military coupled with the cooperation of the
people and their commitment to free their communities from NPA
presence.#
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