LUCENA CITY – The military on Monday, Dec. 9, claimed at least 48 members of New People’s Army (NPA) had surrendered following the arrest of a top rebel in Southern Tagalog.
In a statement, Capt. Jayrald Ternio, head of the public affairs office of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division, said the surrender took place last Saturday, Dec. 7.
Lt. Col. Alexander Arbolado, head of the Army’s 4th Infantry Battalion, said “demoralization and fear” drove the rebels to yield after the arrest of Jaime Padilla, NPA spokesperson in the region.
Padilla’s arrest at a hospital in San Juan City last week was an eye opener for rebels because while Padilla enjoyed “high-end medical treatment” his comrades did not.
“They realized the unfair treatment between leaders and ordinary fighters,” said Arbolado.
Amid the military claim, rebels under the Melito Glor Command condemned the alleged treachery in the killing of a top rebel leader and two others in Antipolo City on Dec. 5.
The command, in a statement, said Armando Lazarete and his two companions Jose Villahermosa and Lucio Simburoto were unarmed when they were killed by soldiers.
The military claimed they were slain in a gunfight.
The rebels also said the shooting victims had been wrongly identified. Lazarte’s real name was Ermin Bellen, the rebels said.
Ternio, the Army regional spokesperson, said it was not true that the three slain men were unarmed and sleeping as rebels claimed.
He said the NPA statement was “full of lies”.
Ternio said soldiers were just backups for police who served arrest warrants for the three men. Lazarte, said Ternio, had been wanted for a case of murder and frustrated murder and was covered by an arrest warrant.