By MAE SINGUAY & DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Ten New People’s Army (NPA) rebels returned into the fold of the law and became peace advocates.
They took their “oath of allegiance” to the government during the localized peace engagement and turnover rites in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental on Dec. 26.
Captain Dorcesimo Cuyag Jr., Civil Military Operations Officer for the Philippine Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion (62IB), said all were formerly members of the NPA Central Negros Front 1 who surrendered from Dec. 20 to 22.
One of the rebels whose identity is being kept for security reasons said he served the NPA for 38 years, joining in 1984. His son also joined the NPA and surrendered with him.
The ceremony was graced by the then-303rd Brigade Commander, Brigadier General Inocencio Pasaporte; chairperson of the Guihulngan City Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (GCTF-ELCAC) and Mayor Felomino Reyes; and some city and barangay officials.
According to the military, the peace advocates surrendered their firearms to GCTF-ELCAC as a manifestation of their desire to live a peaceful life and abandon armed struggle. These included a M16 assault rifle, a Colt M203 grenade launcher, two .45 pistols, a .357 Magnum revolver, and ammunition.
“You are just victims of the Communist Party of the Philippines’ (CPP) deceptive tactics. The communist terrorist group is a syndicate that neglects the sacrifices of their members who suffer from hunger, exhaustion and fear,” said Pasaporte who retired from the military following a change of command ceremony yesterday in Murcia.
For his part, Reyes expressed his gratitude to peace advocates, saying, “You’ve made the right decision. The Guihulngan City TF-ELCAC will assist each of you so that you can live peacefully with your family and community.”
Each former rebel received two sacks of fertilizer, a sack of corn seed; five kilos of rice; a carton of assorted canned goods and food packs; a bucket of hygiene kits each, and a bottle of probiotic organic foliar fertilizer.
The activity also included a symbolic candle-lighting, prayer offering and release of white doves and balloons as a demonstration of Guihulnganons’ hope for peace and unity among the Negrenses.
There was also a ceremonial burning of CPP-NPA flags which symbolized their withdrawal of support from the communist group.
The 10 are expected to receive aid from the government through its Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program, or E-CLIP./PN
