The 150 former militia and rebel supporters burn the flags of the communist rebels during the mass surrender in Sto. Niño, Cagayan on Friday. Photo courtesy of the Army’s 17th Infantry Battalion
TUGUEGARAO CITY – At least 150 members and supporters of the rebel group Militia ng Bayan (People’s Militia) in Cagayan province surrendered on Friday, the military said.
Lt. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr., the Army’s Northern Luzon Command chief, said the mass surrender happened in the towns of Rizal and Sto. Niňo where the communist militia operated.
“[This mass surrender] is a testament that the communist terrorists no longer enjoy the mass base support in these areas,” Burgos said in a statement on Sunday.
Soldiers from the 7th Infantry Battalion, Marine Battalion Landing Team 10, 77th Infantry Battalion, and members of the Cagayan police facilitated the localized peace negotiation through the community support program.
Burgos urged the other communist rebels to surrender their arms and abandon their armed struggle.
The 150 former rebel supporters have been undergoing custodial debriefing and profiling as part of the requirements for them to avail the government’s reintegration program called “Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program.”