19 NPA supporters surrender in Nueva Ecija

FORT MAGSAYSAY, Nueva Ecija -- About 19 supporters of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Nueva Ecija voluntarily surrendered to the folds of the government.

Formerly members of Milisyang Bayan and other groups who are supporters of the Komiteng Larangang Guerilya Sierra Madre of the NPA, they surrendered to 91st Infantry Battalion Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Jose Mari Torrenueva II last Saturday, November 9, in Barangay Antipolo, Bongabon town.

“This new batch of surrenderers was accomplished through the assistance of the 84th Infantry Battalion and 1st Police Mobile Force Company of the Nueva Ecija Police Provincial Office,” Torrenueva said.

The surrenderers are residents of villages Oliveti, Pesa, Macabaclay and Antipolo in Bongabon.

“I am very pleased that our people are now seeing the futility and wrongness of supporting the armed struggle being championed by the NPA. The people can rest assured that my unit will not tire in reaching out to our people in other areas where NPA still wields influence,” Torrenueva said.

This marks the second time in a week that supporters of NPA surrendered to the government.

Last November 6, a total of 53 NPA supporters surrendered to the 84th Infantry Battalion in Caranglan, Nueva Ecija and 24 to the 91st Infantry Battalion in San Luis, Aurora.

“I noticed the increasing number of surrenderees this week in the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Aurora. This is a clear manifestation that the people are now well-informed of NPA deception which resulted to their decision to renounce their support from the rebels and shifted their support to the effort of the government to attain lasting peace. We are also looking at the effect of the efforts of Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict as it is now working well down to the barangay level,” 7th Infantry Division Commander Major General Lenard T. Agustin said in a statement. (PIA-Central Luzon)