“NALINYAHAN na daan mi sa mga masa. Didtoa pa lang daan sa Cotabato, akong amahan, linyado napud. Namatyan mi’g duha ka uyoan nga naglihok na pud hantod sa daghan sa amoang pamilya ang na full-time ‘tung pagkamatay nila,” this is how alias “Hill”, 30, a former rebel (FR), detailed the origin of their family joining the decades-long revolutionary movement against the government.
(My family had already been involved with the cause. Way back in Cotabato, my father was already part of it. Several members of my family became full-time members of the “movement” when military men killed two of my relatives).
“Hill”, who is originally from Cotabato, joined the New People's Army (Filipino: Bagong Hukbong Bayan), more politically known as NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), last 2014 when he was scouted by the Manilakbayan ng Mindanao to fight against the increasing human rights injustices and violence in Mindanao allegedly orchestrated by military troops and paramilitary groups.
The majority of the protesters were evacuees, Lumáds who have been forced to leave their communities, victims of human rights violations — families of the slain or disappeared, tortured and incarcerated, or accused with fabricated criminal cases.
At that time, Hill was one of the hundreds of protesters across the Visayas and Mindanao who demanded peace and justice in Mindanao through the #Manilabakyan activities which gained its prominence in the mainstream.
As a teenager, he was already immersed in the social and economic revolution, echoing their unjust experiences from the hands of the government to later on encourage others to join them in the struggle to assert their rights.
Hill, who once actively participated in the Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (MLM) political philosophy in support of the guerilla war attempting to destabilize the national government, is now promoting the future vowed to them by the government. This includes financial assistance, job training, education, free health services, and various livelihood programs.
“Nag-voluntary mi’g surrender kay gisaadan mi na dili mi maunsa kay lahi naman gyud ang sauna gyud ug karon. Nahadlok mi sauna kay daghang hulga ug istorya. Kami magpasalig mi nga dili sila maunsa ug maka-benefit pud sila kung unsa ang ihatag sa gobyerno,” he said.
(We voluntarily surrendered because we were promised that we would not be neglected because there is a really huge difference before and now. We were afraid because of many threats and stories. We will assure them that they will not be harmed and that they will also benefit from the assistance provided by the government).
Hill surrendered to the government in August this year following a series of talks and through a comprehensive approach and strategic cooperation of the local government units (LGUs) and the deployment of the Mobile Community Support Sustainment Program (MCSSP) and Kalinaw- Southeastern Mindanao Region (SMR), an organization of former Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (CPP-NPA-NDFP) members dedicated to peace and reconciliation.
From being a former team leader of the Dismantled Guerilla Front 34 and Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SMRC), Hill is now a regular citizen of the country, enjoying the freedom and opportunities laid out by the government.
In an interview with the “friends captured”, Hill, who only finished second-year high school, admitted that he was greatly influenced by the political ideologies of the leftists and progressive groups.
“Sauna pa lang dili na mi mapansin. Wala mi kabalo nga mutabang diay ang gobyerno. Nahadlok man gud mi kay ang gina-ingon sa amoa kalaban gyud ang gobyerno (We were never recognized back then. We did not know that the government would really help. We were just afraid because we have been told that the enemy was the government),” he said while expressing his confidence that 90 percent of the active NPAs in his area will decide to rejoin society and abandon the path of the 50-year armed struggle.
On September 23, 2024, Hill was among the new 35 FRs from various NPA units across Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro, and Agusan del Sur who returned to the fold of the law. They were presented to the media by the Eastern Mindanao Command (EMC) of the Philippine Army (PA) at the 60th Infantry (Mediator) Battalion of the 10th Infantry (Agila) Division, Camp Morgia, Barangay Dona Andrea in Asuncion, Davao del Norte.
Hill and the other platoon of former NPA rebels also surrendered their 20 firearms wherein 16 of these were considered high-powered and four were low-powered firearms. Meanwhile, based on the numbers of FRs being presented, 14 or 40% belonged to the Indigenous People (IP) communities.
The FRs mostly came from the Municipality of Kapalong and Laak with 13 each and Loreto with nine including Hill. These areas were previously significant due to their Guerrilla Bases and Guerrilla Zones.
Currently, the regional peace body has sustained the insurgency-free image of the Davao Region for two consecutive years since the declaration was publicly announced in 2022. This made Davao Region the third area in the country declared as cleared of insurgents, following Regions 1 and 9.
Davao City was first declared insurgency-free in the Davao Region, followed by Davao de Oro and Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental and Davao Oriental.
Currently, Hill is among the thousands of FRs who have been granted various assistance and aid by local and national governments, particularly the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-clip) administered by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
The Executive Order No. 70 was signed by former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte institutionalizing the “Whole-of-Nation Approach” to address the root cause of insurgencies, internal disturbances and tensions, and other armed conflicts and threats. It is aimed at prioritizing and harmonizing the delivery of basic services and social development packages, facilitating societal inclusivity, and ensuring active participation of all sectors of society in pursuit of the country's peace agenda.
Moreover, the assistance is a comprehensive, integrated, and community-based national program that is locally implemented to meet former rebels' legal status and security, as well as their economic, social, and psychological rehabilitation requirements.
Currently, NPA acts as the CPP's primary organization, with the goal of consolidating political power from what it perceives as the current "bourgeois reactionary puppet government" and assisting in the "people's democratic revolution".
The Philippine government recognized the NPA, along with the CPP, as a terrorist group. The United States and the European Union on the other hand designated the CPP-NPA as "foreign terrorist organizations" in 2002 and 2005, respectively while Japan's Public Security Intelligence Agency listed the NPA as a "major international terrorist organization". DEF