70 NPA surrender in Occidental Mindoro
CAMP GENERAL Mateo Capinpin, Tanay, Rizal: 70 members of the New People’s Army (NPA) voluntarily surrendered to the troops of the 4th Infantry Battalion (4IB) conducting a community support program in Barangays Naibuan and Monteclaro, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro on Wednesday.
Lt . Col Dennis Gutierrez, 4IB commanding officer, said that 62 of the surrenderees were members of the Milisyang Bayan (MB) and eight were members of the Sangay ng Partido sa Lokalidad (SPL).
He said that the SPL serves as the Communist Party organ in an NPA influenced sitio or barrio.
During the interview of some of the surrenderers, alias Nards, 40, an SPL member said that they were deceived by the NPAs.
“The NPA made us believe that they had given us the land we are tilling a long time ago, that is why every time we harvest palay and corn, we give the NPA a portion. This is how it has been from the time of my parents. It is only now that I learned the NPAs only rode on the agrarian issue of our ancestors. They found a way to make us indigenous people believe that we owe them our livelihood,” Nards said.
A minor, alias Jerry, 17, an MB member said that he had attended several NPA meetings.
“After several meetings, the NPA bring us to their base and teach us nhow to dismantle an armalite. If they have tactical offensives against the military, they enlist us then we go back to our barrios. We become ‘legal’ and serve as their contact every time they enter our barangay,” he said.
Col. Marceliano Teofilo, the new Commander of the 203rd Infantry Brigade (203IB) who has operational jurisdiction over Mindoro Island welcomed the NPA surrenderers saying, “Our sustained combat operations and massive information drive about ECLIP is gaining ground. We are optimistic that more NPAs will surrender in the days to come.”
Under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP), a former rebel can receive P15,000 immediate cash assistance, P50,000 livelihood assistance, firearms remuneration, have access to housing, loans, medical and legal assistance as well as educational benefits which can be extended to the rebel’s immediate family members.
He also refuted the claims of Joma Sision that the CPP/NPA does not recruit minors. “We just heard the revelations of a 17 year old how the NPAs false promises and lies corrupted him,” Teofilo said.
Maj. Gen. Rhoderick Parayno, commander of the Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry Division (2IB) lauded the accomplishment of 4IB troops against the NPA terrorists in the area.
“The vast number of NPA surrenderers clearly shows that they have lost the support of the people and the communities in Mindoro. Such numbers will impede the communist party anniversary preparation in the area and we will give them no time to celebrate their futile cause,” he added.
“We encourage them to go home and feel the beauty of living peacefully, and productively with their families, their wives and their children. We will help them enrol in the E-CLIP like their former comrades who yielded ahead of them. I guarantee their safety and I’ll make sure that they receive all the benefits due them offered by the government”, Parayno said.
The 70 surrenderers were formally presented to San Jose Mayor Romulo Festin and Social Welfare and Development Officer Alicia M. Cajayon for enrollment in E-CLIP.