THE military announced on Tuesday, March 1, 2022, that it has dismantled a guerilla front of the communist group New People's Army (NPA) following the surrendering of its 13 former members.
In a press release, the 10th Infantry Battalion said 13 members from Guerilla Front 3, Sub-Regional Committee 4, Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SMRC), surrendered last February 26, 2022 in Barangay Kidawa, Laak, Davao de Oro.
The former rebels were presented during a press conference at 60th Infantry Battalion headquarters in Asuncion, Davao del Norte.
The surrenderers led by Renard Galos Catarata, the GF3 commanding officer, said their food supplies and physical strength were exhausted due to the relentless military operations in the area.
The former NPA members surrendered with them 12 assorted high-powered and one low-powered firearms, thousands of ammunition of different caliber, and subversive documents.
Catarata said their food supplies and physical strength were exhausted due to the relentless military operations in the area.
“Wala na mi padulngan, wala nay pagkaon. Wala napud masa nga muhatag (We have nowhere to go, no food supplies coming in. The masses also refused to help us),” he said.
He also said that their membership is experiencing low morale due to a series of setbacks suffered by SMRC.
“Low moral na akong mga tao kay bisan asa nga prente, puro kapildihan ang naangkon. Sige lang hilak akong mga sakop. Wala napud insakto nga lider nga nagdala sa SMRC, mao nagdesisyon mi nga mo-surrender nalang -- kaysa mahurot mi kamatay (The state of morale of our troops is very low due to setbacks suffered by the movement in every front. SMRC further experienced a leadership vacuum, and we have no one to seek guidance to, that’s why, we decided to surrender to avoid certain death),” Catarata said.
Brigadier General Jesus Durante III, the Army’s 1001st Brigade commander, lauded the troops for the accomplishment, citing the government is gaining more grounds against the communist group.
The dismantling, according to Durante, was due to the relentless focused military operations conducted in the boundaries of Laak, Davao de Oro, and Loreto, Agusan del Sur since October last year.
“This is yet another milestone to our campaign in ridding of the five-decade deceptive and terroristic acts of the communist NPA. After all, this is not just our accomplishment but also of the government and the peace-loving people we ought to serve,” he said.
He also welcomed the “rescued” personalities of GF3 and thanked them as they returned to the folds of the law.
The surrenderers immediately underwent medical check-ups and swab tests to ensure they were in good health.
Durante said on Saturday, February 27, that more operations against the members of the communist groups as the military targets to end insurgency before President Rodrigo Duterte steps down in June 2022.
On Thursday, February 24, five suspected NPA members were killed in an encounter in Purok 8, Barangay Andap, New Bataan, Davao de Oro.
The fatalities were identified as Jojarain Alce Nguho II alias Rain, Chad Booc alias Chad, a certain alias Daday and two still unidentified males.
The recent encounter comes after the 1001st Brigade six clashes that led to the neutralization of top NPA personalities to include Menandro Villanueva, secretary of NPA’s Komisyong Mindanao, and the recovery of war materiel.
Booc, a Math teacher of a Lumad school that closed down in Surigao del Sur, was one of those arrested by the Central Visayas police after being involved in bringing indigenous peoples (IP) children from Davao del Norte to Cebu on February 15, 2021.
Durante said the military had intelligence information that a group of school teachers had integrated with an NPA unit in Southern Mindanao in December 2021.