ILOILO City – A former key officer of the New People’s Army (NPA) voluntarily surrendered to the Philippine Army’s 61st Infantry Battalion (61IB) and police authorities over the weekend.
The 35-year-old rebel used the aliases “Vic”, “Victor”, “Concon”, “Thor”, and “Denver” was from Tubungan, Iloilo.
He was the finance and logistic officer of Squad 2, Regional Sentro De Gravidad, Madia-as Platoon of Komiteng Rehiyon-Panay of the NPA.
Lieutenant Colonel Arturo Balgos, commanding officer of the 61IB, said the surrenderer admitted that demoralization, false promises, ill-treatment, and corruption of NPA leaders forced him to surrender.
“This is a good development in our campaign against the rebels who refused to leave armed struggle,” Balgos added.
The surrenderer will undergo processing and documentation for endorsement of the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) that aims to provide appropriate project benefits to former rebels who choose to reintegrate into society.
The local government of Tubungan has also vowed to give him livelihood assistance.
The Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID), meanwhile, again called on the remaining rebels to return to the fold of the law.
“Your organization is on the brink of downfall. You can still regain your future if you return to the government peacefully as early as possible. We are more than willing to save you from the foreseen destruction of the CTG. Choose peace, go back to your loved ones, and renew your lives with the help of the government’s E-CLIP,” 3ID commander Major General Sison said./PN
