Friday, August 15, 2008 4 rebels surrender to Centcom
FOUR mass supporters of the New People’s Army have surrendered and turned over firearms that they were tasked to keep.
For their efforts, Central Command awarded them P4,000 each.
Most of them learned about the Balik-Baril program that gave out cash for each firearm surrendered to the military.
Marcial Prieto, 70, Ruel Tañana, Noel Agudo and Leon Manulat surrendered their firearms to the 78th Infantry Battalion’s (IB) Bravo Company.
Prieto, who hails from Sitio Inbentaryo, Barangay Dungaa, Danao City, handed over last Aug. 6 a Springfield 30 rifle. At the height of communist insurgency in Danao City, rebels reportedly lived in his house and asked for provisions.
Guns
Manulat, of Barangay Bayabas, Danao City, surrendered another Springfield 30 rifle last July 1 while Agudo, “a local militia” of the NPA, surrendered a Carbine rifle last May 11. He hails from Tuburan town.
As for Tañana, he gave up a Springfield 30 rifle.
Tañana said he was still a minor when communist rebels asked him to keep the rifle because they had to go somewhere. He also claimed he once brought them supper.
When a pulong-pulong was conducted in Barangay Bayabas, Danao City, he learned that the military was offering cash for firearms used by rebels.
Financial
“Gumikan sa akong kalisod unya kay supak man sad diay to sa atong panggobyerno, akong gi-surrender nalang (I returned the gun because I realized it’s against the law and for financial reasons),” he told reporters.
Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia lauded the military and the surrenderees “for their stellar accomplishments” and assured them of financial aid to start a new life.
They were presented to her at the Cebu Provincial Capitol yesterday afternoon.
Centcom Commanding General Pedro Ike Inserto also revealed that one company from the 78th IB that is based in San Remigio, Antique will be pulled out and reassigned to southern Cebu.
This was after 100 policemen from the Regional Mobile Group was pulled out and sent to Mindanao to aid the personnel there for the special elections of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.
Preempting
Inserto said that with the constant operations in Negros Island, they were preempting the possible transfer of the NPA’s Central Visayas Regional Party Committee to southern Cebu.
He said the nearest island from Negros is southern Cebu.
“We are preempting their transfer to Cebu,” Inserto said.
Inserto said that with the constant special operations in the south of Cebu, the NPA leadership in Central Visayas cannot “establish a foothold” there.
Col. Raymundo Bañares, commander of the 78th IB, said they have organized 7,000 barangay intelligence networks and are organizing one company of Citizen’s Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) in the south.
Inserto ordered them to intensify counter intelligence in the recruitment of Cafgu members. (MEA)
