ILOILO – There are greater things coming for rebels who choose the path of peace.
The Philippine Army made this assurance following the surrender of 26 members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in this province.
At Camp Ceferino Carreon in Barangay Libot, Calinog, Iloilo over the weekend, the rebels yielded to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) 30 firearms (15 long, 15 short).
Of the 26 rebels, six were from the municipality of Calinog, seven from Lambunao, and 13 from Janiuay.
These rebels surrendered to the 12th Infantry Battalion (12IB) and Municipal Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict in the three towns, according to Brigadier General Marion Sison, commander of the 301st Infantry Brigade.
“Your Army in Panay will be your partner as you return to the fold of the law and make a new chapter of your lives together with your families,” Sison said.
He added: “We are glad that you have finally decided to follow the right path, and that is to embrace the culture of peace.”
With the help of local government units and other government agencies, these rebels can now have a fresh start, he said.
Sison added that this “mass surrender” showed a strong manifestation that these rebels can no longer be “deceived by the false ideologies and atrocities of communist terrorist groups.”
The event was witnessed by Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Jason Estrada, commanding officer of the 12IB; Mayor Bienvenido Margarico of Janiuay; Chester Larroder, Calinog Municipal Information Officer; and Police Colonel Gilbert Gorero, director of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office.
The AFP is hoping that more rebels will surrender and avail themselves of the government’s reintegration programs./PN
