PAGADIAN CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 30, 2013) – A communist rebel has surrendered to the army-led militias in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Sur, officials said Wednesday.
Officials said the 28-year old Alex Dungog, of the Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee, escaped from his unit due to extreme hardships and now wanted to return to the folds of the law.
Dungog told military interrogators that he joined the New People’s Army in October 2011 in the town of Tambulig.
General Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, commander of the 1st Infantry Division, said local village officials helped Dungog surrender to the 55th Infantry Battalion. He also commended the troops for their Bayanihan campaign in the province.
“We welcome the decision of Alex Dungog to go back to his family and live a peaceful life. We expect more NPA members to abandon their armed struggle in days to come due to the sincere effort of our soldiers and local government officials who are facilitating to bring peace and development to the countryside thru the Bayanihan Team Operations,” he said.
There was no immediate statement from the NPA, which has been fighting for decades for the establishment of a communist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
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