10 alleged NPAs killed, 73 surrendered in Southern Luzon since January – Solcom
Rebels. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
LUCENA CITY — At least 10 alleged New People’s Army (NPA) rebels were killed by state security forces in Southern Luzon since January this year, the military’s Southern Luzon Command (Solcom) reported Saturday, May 20.
Solcom public information officer Col. Dennis Cana said in an online interview that three of the communist guerrillas were killed in separate encounters in Southern Tagalog while seven were slain in clashes in the Bicol region.
Cana also reported that 46 former NPA combatants surrendered in Southern Tagalog and another 27 Red-fighters voluntarily turned themselves in to military and police forces in Bicol from January to the present.
The government forces recovered 20 assorted firearms from the communist insurgents in Southern Tagalog and another 12 in Bicol during the same period.
READ: Alleged NPA ‘militia’ surrenders in Quezon province
“More NPA’s people’s militia and allies in different parts of Southern Luzon have also been turning their backs on the communist movement and making their pledge of allegiance to the government,” Cana said.
The “people’s militia” is part of the insurgent’s mass base, which secures the NPA rebels while in the community. Sometimes, they are armed to reinforce the communist guerrillas during encounters.
The continued surrender of communist insurgents and the avowal of support to the government of their allies and supporters indicates the futility of armed struggle, Cana said.
In a statement, Solcom commander Army Lt. Gen. Efren Baluyot called for the surrender of remaining communist guerrillas in the Southern Tagalog and Bicol regions.
“The government is willing to listen, hear their gripes and find a lasting solution,” Baluyot said.
READ: 10 Quezon towns now NPA free
He said the government authorities are prepared to provide the necessary assistance for the former rebels in their reintegration protocols under the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-Clip).
A rebel returnee can avail himself of firearm remuneration and housing, medical care, loans, and legal assistance, among other forms of help from the government.
The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
READ: NPA’s 54th anniv: CPP touts ‘steady advance’; AFP sneers at ‘irrelevant’ movement
Established on March 29, 1969, the NPA has currently around 2,112 forces across the country with 1,800 weapons in its arsenal, according to latest military estimates.
At its height, it had 25,000 members in 1987, according to Philippine military estimates.
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