Ben Madilynn
A TOTAL of 35 former New People’s Army (NPA) members from various units in Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro, and Agusan del Sur have surrendered to the government since March of this year until the present.
The former rebels (FR), which have also been given a new name with the same abbreviation, Friends Rescued, surrendered with their firearms composed of 16 high-powered and four low-powered weapons. They were presented to the media on Monday, September 23 at the 60th Infantry (Mediator) Battalion of the 10th Infantry (Agila) Division of the Philippine Army (PA), at Camp Morgia, Barangay Dona Andrea, Asuncion, Davao del Norte.
According to the Eastern Mindanao Command (EMC), the surrender was made possible through a comprehensive approach and strategic cooperation of the local government units (LGUs), deployment of the Mobile Community Support Sustainment Program (MCSSP) and with the help of Kalinaw-Southeastern Mindanao Region (SMR), an organization of former Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (CPP-NPA-NDFP) members dedicated to peace and reconciliation.
During the event, Kapalong Mayor Maria Theresa Timbol said in her speech that they are working on an initiative to alleviate the lives of the FRs by providing government support, particularly in alleviating their socioeconomic status.
“Andam mi mudawat sa inyo. Mao ni ang bag-ong kaugmaon karon ug para sa mga sunod na henerasyon (We are willing to help you. This is the new future and the future of our generations to come),” she said.
“Dako inyohang tabang sa pagbalik-loob sa gobyerno. Andam mi kanunany na moatubang ug mutabang sa inyoha. Sa inyohang pagbalik sa amoa, among siguradohon nga makadawat mo’g pinansyal ug tabang sa gobyerno (Your return to the folds of the law has contributed a lot to the government. We are always ready to help you. Now that you return, we will make sure that you receive financial assistance from the government),” Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib said, citing the significance of Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-Clip) which intends to provide a comprehensive package of benefits to assist FRs.
The provincial governor also added that aside from the E-Clip, FRs are also expected to receive additional assistance from the local and provincial government unit amounting to P10,000 to 20,000 each and other sustainable interventions such as education, job training, and encouraging them to invest in business and other livelihood projects to generate income.
The support is part of the ongoing implementation of Executive Order No. 70 series of 2018, which institutionalizes the whole-of-nation strategy to ending the local communist armed conflict.
Prior to their surrender, around 15 former NPAs joined in several workshops and intelligence fusion sessions this year, which aimed to identify, find, and confirm the status of Communist Terrorist remnants and members of the Communist NPA Terrorists (CNT) to neutralize their group and prevent the resurgence insurgency.
Meanwhile, based on the numbers of FRs presented, 14 or 40% belonged to the Indigenous People (IP) communities. They mostly came from the Municipalities of Kapalong and Laak with 13 each and Loreto with nine.
These areas were previously significant due to their Guerrilla Bases and Guerrilla Zones. DEF
