BAGUMBAYAN, Sultan Kudarat — Eight more communist rebels in Sultan Kudarat province had decided to return to the folds of the law Friday, an Army colonel said Saturday.
Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, commander of the Army’s 33rd Infantry Battalion (IB), said the rebels decided to come down after getting exhausted in the military’s relentless pursuit operations against the New People’s Army (NPA).
Cabunoc said to date, a total of 111 rebels had surrendered to the 33rd IB.
He identified the eight as Romeo “Taiwan” Dongco, 29; Jun-Jun Okom, 29; Nasio Dungco, 28; Binta Okom, 50; Batoy Tayak, 49; Goong Tugi, 47; Justin Tugi, 21; and a child warrior named Raffy Blah, 16.
Cabunoc said three of them had executed an affidavit linking a local government official to the communist NPA terrorists.
“He facilitated the organization of the lumads as NPA fighters purposely to reclaim our ancestral lands. He welcomed Ka George and Ka Makmak in his house to recruit us in May 2015,” said one former NPA rebel.
Cabunoc did not name the local official.
The recent surrender of eight rebels was facilitated by Bagumbayan Mayor Jonalette de Pedro and Chief Insp. Garyflor Marfil of the Bagumbayan town police office.
Cabunoc said he expects more rebels to surrender due to the ongoing military operations against NPAs in the mountains of Sultan Kudarat. (Edwin Fernandez/PNA)
