Officials said Narciso Pulbos Ruben is the leader of New People’s Army forces operating in Compostela Valley province.
Major General Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command, said the rebel leader’s surrender only proved the effectiveness of the military’s so-called Peace and Development Outreach Program.
“More than forty years of armed struggle have not solved any of our problems. It has caused more problems for our society. Senseless deaths and miseries to hundreds of thousands of Filipinos and destroyed the future of many Filipino youth. Let us actively support the program of government to peacefully resolve all armed conflicts in the country,” Cruz said.
Cruz urged other rebels to return to the folds of the law and avail of the various government integration and humanitarian programs.
He said the rebels can avail of the government’s Comprehensive Local Integration Program which provides livelihood and financial aid to those who would surrender and use these to start a new life with their family.
“Please take advantage of the government’s integration program. It will provide you an opportunity to return back to your families and communities through the Comprehensive Local Integration Program of the government and together we shall solve our problems the peaceful way,” Cruz said.
He said Ruben will undergo a process where he can avail the livelihood assistance program. The rebel leader will receive cash for the weapons he surrendered to the military under the “Guns-for-Peace Program”.
Cruz said the surrender of Ruben was made possible through the efforts of the peace and development teams under the Major General Ariel Bernardo, commander of 10th Infantry Division.
He said an emissary, whose identity was withheld for security reasons, helped in the negotiations for Ruben’s peaceful surrender.
Ruben told military interrogators that he joined the NPA in 1997 and held various positions with the Samahang Yunit Pampropaganda and became a team leader of a medical unit and a political instructor of the Pulang Bagani Command 5 until he assumed as Front Secretary in February last year.
He said the NPA, which is fighting for a separate state, lured him to join the rebel group promising him and his family monetary support and alleviation from poverty. (Mindanao Examiner)
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