Nolcom chief: NPA in north, Central Luzon extinct soon

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—Citing the recent surrender of 313 New People’s Army (NPA) rebels and supporters in the Cordillera, the Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon, the chief of the military’s Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) said the communists in these areas are now being “pushed to extinction” but did not say how. In a statement, Lt. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr. on Saturday said the surrenderers in the four regions had also given up 96 weapons. The NPA was founded in 1969 in Central Luzon with the Tarlac-based Bernabe Buscayno as its first commander. From a fledgling army, it grew during the Marcos regime and expanded to 10 regions. Burgos said the surrender of the NPA leaders and cadres was “on top of the 4,378 persona non grata declarations across the four regions and 22 provinces, including cities, towns, and villages.” —TONETTE OREJAS