ARMY: OVER 8-K REBELS SURRENDER SINCE 2017

Surrenderers increased after the government implemented the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-Clip)

Manila - Over 8,000 members of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) have surrendered to the government since 2017, a military official said.

Philippine Army spokesperson Colonel Ramon Zagala said rebel surrenderers increased after the government implemented the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-Clip).

The E-clip is an assistance program for the rebel returnees who want to start their lives again away from the communist group.

It offers surrenderers P15,000 financial support, P50,000 for livelihood and a remuneration for the firearm they surrendered with an amount ranging from P12,000 to P210,000 depending on the type of firearm.

The government is also funding the construction of so-called “halfway houses” which will serve as a venue in rehabilitation and healing sessions and education and skills training activities for the rebel returnees.

Zagala said the rebel surrenderers were profiled and it was then when they identified that majority of them were recruited while they were still minors and studying in various schools.

Meanwhile, he noted the important role of the parents in guiding and having an open communication with their children in order to keep them away from the recruitment of the communist group.

The military also said the NPA forces are continuously going down due to the programs of the governments such as the e-clip and the localized peacetalks.

Due to the continuous recruitment of the youths Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año called for the revival of the Ant-Subversion Law which was supported by both the AFP and Philippine National Police (PNP).

In a statement, PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde said the local insurgency will “die a natural death” when its ideological foundation is criminalized.

“Because the CPP-NPA employs violence and terrorism to advance its cause to topple government, all its organizational components including ideological roots must be subject to the justice system as violations of law just like the criminal actions committed by armed fighters of the NPA,” he said.

E-Clip offers surrenderers P15,000 financial support, P50,000 for livelihood and a remuneration for the firearm they surrendered with an amount ranging from P12,000 to P210,000 depending on the type of firearm