THREE members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and seven New People’s Army (NPA) rebels have surrendered the past two days as the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) sustained the offensive in its area of jurisdiction.
Brigadier General Juvymax Uy, Joint Task Force Basilan commander, identified the ASG surrenderers as Karim Abubakar, Jimboy Abubakar Aldam, and Imran Arajan Abdulajidz, all followers of bandit sub-leader Nurhassa Jamiri.
Uy said they surrendered at 4:45 p.m. Tuesday to the troops of the Army’s 4th Special Forces Battalion in Banah village, Tipo-Tipo, Basilan province.
Uy, who is also the Army’s 104th Infantry Brigade commander, said the ASG surrenderees yielded an M-16 “Baby” Armalite rifle, a caliber .30 M1 Garand rifle and other war materiel.
The surrender of the three ASG members has brought to 19 the number of bandits who surrendered to the government this year within the Westmincom area of responsibility.
Of the total, nine surrendered in Basilan, eight in Sulu, and two in Tawi-Tawi.
The seven NPA rebels who surrendered were identified as the following: Godus Sintaw, 36; Arnel Dimantukay, 21; Donie Diwan, 28; Ghagha Ansag, 25; Danilo Mungkay, 25; Larry Ugalingan, 34; and, Jimmy Ulangkaya, 34.
Major General Arnel Dela Vega, Joint Task Force Central commander, said they surrendered on Monday in the province of Maguindanao.
Dela Vega said they turned over an M-14 rifle, two caliber .30 M1 Garand rifles, a homemade M-16 sniper rifle, a Springfield rifle, a Caliber .38 revolver, a hand grenade, and an improvised bomb.
A total of 42 NPA rebels have surrendered to the government forces since January this year, including the seven, who surrendered on Monday.
“We had been receiving and processing so much surrenders since last year up to the first quarter of this year,” Lieutenant General Carlito Galvez, Jr., Westmincom chief, said. (Bong Garcia/SunStar Philippines)