BAGUMBAYAN, Sultan Kudarat — Five more communist guerillas from the Indigenous Peoples (IPs) community in the mountains of Barangay Santo Nino here have surrendered to the military.
Lt. Colonel Harold Cabunoc, commander of the Army’s 33rd Infantry Battalion (IB), welcomed the surrenderees in simple rites around 9 a.m. Monday in Barangay Saripinang, Bagumbayan.
“It appeared they were pressured by our military combat operations,” Cabunoc said of the joint operations conducted by the Army’s 33rd and 57th IBs and 4th Special Forces Battalion of the Philippine National Police.
“They said they were tired of running away from military pursuit operations and decided to peacefully surrender to live normal lives,” Cabunoc added.
Ka Benong, the group leader, told military officials that he would like to seek help from the government to construct concrete roads leading to their village and a public school for their children.
The Army, according to Cabunoc, will process their inclusion to the coverage of Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP) of the government being implemented by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Cabunoc added that he is working on things for the presentation of surrenderees to Sultan Kudarat Gov. Pax Mangudadatu.
With the surrender of five NPA rebels, the number of communist insurgents who surrendered to the Army rose to 120 since May last year. (PNA)
