Army wins back 123 rebels in SurSur

BUTUAN CITY -- Intensified military campaign and the implementation of the “wholeof-nation” approach convinced 123 members and supporters of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) to go back into the fold of the law and start a new life in Surigao del Sur, the Army said. In a statement on Friday, the Army’s 36th Infantry Battalion said the Army’s implementation of the Community Support Program (CSP) also helped the former rebels decide to return to their families and communities. Capt. Jonald D. Romorosa, 36IB civil-military operations officer, said most of the surrenders took place during the third and fourth quarters of the year. Of the 123 NPA rebels, 10 were regular members, 32 were Militia ng Bayan, five were members of the Sanga sa Partido sa Localidad (SPL), and 76 were mass organization members. Romorosa also cited the support of the local government units (LGUs) in the area and the government line agencies that made the surrender of the former rebels possible. In the same statement, Lt. Col. Jezreel Diagmel, 36IB acting commander, said the NPA in Surigao del Sur has weakened as it continues to lose support from the masses. “The growing numbers of surrenders and shifting of support of the masses to the government is a manifestation that they are already awakened on the deception strategy and the futile arm struggle of the CNTs,” he said, referring to the Communist New People’s Army Terrorists. Diagmel also hailed the success of CSP teams of the Army in Surigao del Sur and the help of the LGUs and other stakeholders in the area. The deployment of CSP teams in remote and conflictaffected villages in Surigao del Sur has paved the way for development interventions of the government that have benefited thousands of residents, who for years, had been affected by local communist conflicts. The CSP teams were concentrated in Surigao del Sur’s remote areas, particularly in Sitio Banahao, Barangay Maitom in Tandag City, Sitio Cadlum, Barangay Cabangahan, in the municipality of Tago, and in the town of San Miguel specifically in Sitio Baroboan, Barangay Carromata, Sitio Kiskis, Barangay Siagao, and Sitio Inadan, Baranga Magroyong. Romorosa said the rebel returnees were undergoing interviews, processing, and validation for enrollment in the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (EClip). (PNA)