22 NPA members, sympathizers surrender in Leyte

TACLOBAN CITY––At least 22 former members and sympathizers of the communist rebel group in Leyte surrendered Monday and took their oath of allegiance to the government.

Of the 22 who surrendered, four were regular members of the New People’s Army (NPA). The rest were organizers and sympathizers in the hinterlands of Carigara and nearby municipalities, said Col. Noel Vestuir, the deputy commanding officer of the 802nd Infantry Brigade based in Ormoc City.

The former communist members took their oath of allegiance to the government in a ceremony at the municipal gym.

The event was presided by Mayor Eduardo Ong and witnessed by Army officials led by Brigadier Gen. Zosimo Oliveros, the commanding officer of the 802nd IB.

The former rebels and sympathizers also surrendered firearms that consisted of four caliber-45 pistol, a submachine gun, and a homemade caliber-30 rifle.

Aside from financial assistance from the Carigara government, the surrenderers would also receive help from the national government under its Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program, Vestuir said.

The government campaign against the rebels and the assistance provided those who had earlier yielded were their reasons for surrendering, Vestuir said.

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