Saturday, April 12, 2008
23 NPA 'agents' yield (4:28 p.m.)
MANILA -- About 23 "agents" of the communist New People's Army (NPA) surrendered to Philippine Marine forces in Palawan, the military announced Saturday.
Navy spokesman Ariel Caculitan said Barangay Marufinas chieftain Bartolo Englis, and 22 of his followers voluntarily surrendered and turned over 29 long firearms to the Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT) 9.
Caculitan said the group surrendered last Friday "after confessing that they are agents of the communist terrorist group, New Peoples Army (NPA)."
He said the 23 communist "agents" surrendered 22 "Pugakang rifles", six homemade shotguns and a caliber .38 mm pistol.
He said an officer of the marine unit, 2nd Lieutenant Benjamin Raņon Jr., immersed with local leaders last March 29 and conducted awareness drive to more than 200 residents on the atrocities caused by the NPA, such as the killing of three unarmed young marines dressed in civilian attire while they were on their way to buy food and supplies in the nearby town last year. (VR/Sunnex)
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