48 ex-NPA supporters take oath of allegiance in Sorsogon

LEGAZPI CITY –– Some 48 supporters of the New People’s Army (NPA) took their oath of allegiance to the government in Barcelona town in Sorsogon.

Captain John Paul Belleza, chief of the Army’s 9th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office, said on Wednesday that the rebel supporters, who earlier surrendered, were from Barangays Sta. Cruz and San Ramon, both considered hotbeds of insurgents in the said town.

Barcelona is a fifth class municipality with 25 villages whose livelihood depends only on coconuts, copra, and root crops. The town is about 32 kilometers from Sorsogon City, the capital of the province.

The military said those who took their oath of allegiance to the country were members of “Milisya ng Bayan (People’s militia).”

Edited by LZB