ZAMBOANGA del Sur Governor Victor Yu has encouraged the remaining New People’s Army (NPA) rebels to surrender and return to the folds of the law to enable genuine and lasting development in the rural areas will be attained.
Yu made the encouragement as he highly commended the 102nd Infantry Brigade and 53rd Infantry Battalion for their successful combat operation that led to the death of Aprecia Alvarez Rosete alias Ka Bambam, a notorious senior NPA leader.
“I encourage those remaining members (of the NPA) to surrender and return to the fold of the law so that genuine and lasting development in our rural areas will be attained,” Yu said.
“Our government now has various livelihood programs and assistance for them once they surrender,” Yu added.
Rosete was killed in a clash with government troops in Malagalad village, Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur.
Rosete, who is a native of Agusan del Sur, was the regional leader of the NPA’s Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee.
The clash broke out when the troops chanced upon a group of NPA rebels while conducting a combat operation in Malagalad village, Dumingag town.
“This operation is a resounding success of the government in our efforts to end local communists armed conflict,” Yu said.
“This is also a clear manifestation that our troops are serious in its mandate to pursue those who wage the longest-running insurgencies in the country and responsible for ruthless killings and atrocities,” he added.
Brigadier General Elmer Suderio, 102nd Infantry Brigade commander, said Rosete has 30 standing warrants of arrest as she was the mastermind of heinous acts in Zamboanga Peninsula, including extortions from businessmen, the senseless killings of innocent civilians and destructive sabotage of critical infrastructure projects. (SunStar Zamboanga)