15 ex-rebels yield to military in Masbate
LEGAZPI CITY –– Fifteen former New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Masbate province surrendered to the Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry Battalion in Milagros town, Masbate province on May 2, the 9th Infantry Division (9ID) said Wednesday.
Captain John Paul Belleza, 9ID Public Affairs Division chief, said the recent surrenderers bring to 126 the total number of NPA members and supporters operating in Masbate, who returned to the fold of the law.
Belleza said eight of them were regular NPA guerrillas, and the rest were members of the Sangay ng Partido sa Lokalidad or mass base supporters.
At the ceremony, the former rebels surrendered their firearms – assault rifles, shotguns, a .38 and .357 caliber handguns.
Lt. Col. Sigfried Felipe Awichen, battalion commander, said the new surrenderers would undergo reintegration procedures and enrolled in the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).
Under the E-CLIP, the former rebels would receive cash, livelihood, housing, and medical and educational assistance. They will also be paid for the firearms that they brought with them.
