DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / July 12, 2013) – Two mid-level members of the communist rebel group New People’s Army have surrendered separately to the military in southern Philippines, officials said Friday.
Officials said Jomar Catalino, a supply officer for the New People’s Army, surrendered in the village of Salvacion in Agusan del Sur’s Trento town, and Jason Salde, a platoon medic, yielded to soldiers in Banlag village on the town of Monkayo in Compostela Valley province.
The two men did not give any statement about their surrender, but the military said “both rebels revealed that being away from their families and hardship in the mountains made them decide to coordinate with the community leaders to facilitate their surrender to the government through the military based in the area.”
In a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner, Lt. Col. Cesar Molina said the surrender was a result of the troops’ peace and development efforts in partnership with the communities.
“The local leaders here and the community itself mediated the surrender of Catalino and Salde. They saw the sincerity of the government in helping resolve the cause of conflict through peaceful means,” Molina said.
Catalino and Salde are expected to receive livelihood aid under the government’s Comprehensive Local Integration Program.
At least 125 rebels have already surrendered to the military since early this year, according to the Eastern Mindanao Command.
Just recently, an NPA leader Narciso Ruben, also surrendered to the military in Compostela Valley.
Maj. Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, chief of the Eastern Mindanao Command, said the surrender of rebels is evidence of their peaceful efforts in the communities. “Let us continue to work hand in hand in order to achieve peace. We are optimistic that more NPA rebels will lay down their arms and avail of the government’s amnesty program,” he said.
The NPA has been waging a secessionist war the past decades. (Mindanao Examiner)
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