BUKIDNON – Over 600 communist rebels have surrendered to the military in northern Mindanao as the government continues to lure members of the New People’s Army and the Communist Party of the Philippines and its allied fronts as part of the reconciliation program being espoused by President Rodrigo Duterte.
The 403rd Infantry Brigade said the surrender of the rebels over the past months were the results of the collective efforts of the 5 battalions under its command whose soldiers are doing community services in 58 villages in the provinces of Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon, as well as the hinterlands of Cagayan de Oro City.
Many of those who yielded to the government said they regretted joining the rebel group and wanted to live peacefully now with their family and help in nation building and take advantage of Duterte’s amnesty offer.
One rebel said family dynasty proliferates in many NPA units. “Halos tanang yunit sa hukbo, mag-asawa ang nagdumala. Ang bayi ang kalihim, ang laki ang CO ug puli kalihim. Kontrolado nila ang pondo ug supply. Ang gisaad sa amo mao ang supamil (suporta sa pamilya) nga wala mi kabalo asa gakaadto. Pero ang anak sa mga magasawang lider, hayahay ug kinabuhi. Si Ka Miray dunay negosyo nga tamnanan sa kape. Apan kami gantos sa labnaw nga kape. Ang tinapa, 6-in-1. Unom ka tawo magtunga sa usa ka lata,” the rebel told army interrogators.
Brigadier General Edgardo De Leon, the brigade commander, said the Armed Forces of the Philippines have long embarked in pursuing community-oriented efforts to address the communist insurgency. “We have long proven this approach to be effective, but we need the involvement of civilian agencies and the private sector for this effort to truly succeed. The resources of the AFP is not sufficient in resource-intensive community immersions and services. We could only offer so much,” he said.
“The AFP is grateful that President Duterte, who personally saw how effective the army’s efforts in Davao City when he was the mayor, issued Executive Order 70 that institutionalized the community-oriented approach in ending the local communist armed conflict. By involving the entire government bureaucracy and mobilizing the entire nation against the CPP, NPA and NDF, we are confident that communist insurgency will be finally eliminated before the President’s term ends in 2022,” he added. (Mindanao Examiner)
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