AMPATUAN, Maguindanao — Four members of the New People’s Army (NPA) laid down arms and surrendered to the 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion in Barangay Kamasi, Ampatuan, Maguindanao, the military said Monday.
The NPA rebels who are members of the Platoon Myphone of Guerilla Front 73 are Ariel Biluwal, 29, Oting Ginta, 21, Michael Malik, 23, and Jane Gintangan, female, 19, all of Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat.
The surrenderers turned over two M-16 rifles, a homemade Uzi and an improvised explosive device.
The return of the NPA rebels to the folds of the law is the outcome of an effective collaboration between the military, civil authorities and traditional leaders in addressing the social issues that lured the communities in joining the NPA, according to Major General Dela Vega, Army’s 6th Infantry Division commander.
The surrenderers will be presented to the local government of Sultan Kudarat for the processing of benefits accorded to former rebels as embodied in the Comprehensive Livelihood Integration Program (CLIP) of the government.
In a separate statement, Lt. Colonel Gerry Besana, chief of 6th ID Civil Military Operations (CMO) Battalion, urged the communist rebels who remain in the mountains and fighting government forces to “come down, surrender and be reunited with their families.”
“Ngayong kapaskuhan, makasama at makapiling ang pamilya ang pinakamahalaga (This Christmas to be with our family and loved ones is more important),” Besana said. (PNA)
