More NPAs surrender in Sultan Kudarat
THE ARMY’S 6th Infantry Division said eight more New People’s Army (NPA) members surrendered in Sultan Kudarat province over the weekend. It said the eight belong to an NPA unit that collects “protection money” from farmers in hinterland areas in Bagumbayan town. Capt. Arvin Encinas, public affairs officer of the 6th Infantry Division, said the eight NPAs, led by the 29-year-old Romeo Dongco, surrendered through the efforts of the 33rd Infantry Battalion (IB), Bagumbayan Mayor Jonalette de Pedro and Chief Inspector Garyflor Marfil of the municipal police. The 33rd IB has facilitated the surrender of at least a hundred NPAs in Sultan Kudarat in the past 14 months. Mr. Dongco and his companions surrendered two days after Sultan Kudarat Governor Pax S. Mangudadatu released a P20,000 cash grant each to 32 former rebels who had pledged allegiance to the government in the last quarter of 2017. Chief Inspector Aldrin Gonzales, information officer of the Region 12 police office, said Sunday that 19 of the 32 former NPAs yielded through the efforts of Senior Superintendent Raul Supiter, director of the Sultan Kudarat provincial police office. The Communist Party of the Philippines in January played down the series of surrenders, including that of National Democratic Front of the Philippines regional spokesperson Noel Legazpi, as propaganda. “Foot soldiers regularly conduct forays in far-flung barrios, round up residents, force them to sign blank documents and later present them as ‘NPA surrenderees,’” the party claimed in a statement on Jan. 23. —