Tribal community helps rebels surrender

DAVAO CITY – A tribal community and its leaders in Gupitan, Kapalong, Davao del Norte made an unusual breakthrough when they helped six members of communist New People’s Army (NPA) return to the fold of the law last Thursday.

Report from the 10th Infantry (Agila) Division of the Philippine Army said the six NPA members voluntarily turned themselves in with the help of Lumad leaders to the combined elements of 60th and 72nd Infantry Battalions at a temporary Patrol Base in Sitio Patil in Gupitan.

They also handed to authorities two M-16 rifles and one M-14 rifle, the report added.

The 10th ID temporarily concealed the names of the NPAs who surrendered as well as the names of the tribal leaders.

Capt. Rhyan Batchar, chief information officer of 10th ID, in a statement to the media here identified the NPA rebels only through their aliases as Cardo, 45; Brendo, 25; all of Barangay Datu Davao; Junjun, 19 and a resident of Sitio Camunuan, Gupitan; Raul, 20, of Camunuan; and Justin, 26,of Camunuan.

Batchar added that they belonged to guerrilla front 34 of the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee of the NPA in Davao region.

The six former NPAs are now undergoing custodial debriefing at the Headquarters of 60th Infantry Battalion based at Brgy. Doña Andrea, Asuncion, Davao del Norte.