2 wanted NPA rebels surrender
Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2019 10:39:58 +0000
NEW People’s Army members Ka Glen, 55, and Ka Jongie, 35, hand their 9mm submachine pistols to Lt. Col. Jorge Garcia, head of the Marine Landing Team II, in their formal surrender Monday morning. Looking on is Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, head of the Army’s 33rd Infantry Battalion who facilitated the duo’s surrender Sunday night. (33rd IB’s Facebook page)
COTABATO CITY – Two members of the New People’s Army (NPA) wanted in Sultan Kudarat province for various offenses including arson surrendered to military authorities late Sunday night, Army officials said.
The surrender of Ka Glen, 55, and Ka Jongie, 35, came about two weeks after the communist guerillas, allegedly including the duo, torched heavy construction equipment of the Janmerc Construction Company implementing a government infra project in Hinalaan village of Kalamansig coastal town in Sultan Kudarat, according to Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc.
Cabunoc, commander of the Army’s 33rd Infantry Battalion, said the two returnees claimed membership in the NPA’s Platoon My Phone, which his battalion forces flushed out of Esperanza-Bagumbayan area in the second quarter of 2018.
During last Monday flag raising rites, Cabunoc presented the duo and their two 9mm submachine pistols to Lt. Col. Jorge Garcia, commanding officer of the Marine Battalion Landing Team 2, for official processing under the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).
In their messages, Cabunoc and Garcia reminded the returnees that their surrender meant their vow to peaceful and productive life and to collaborate with government authorities in thwarting the rebel movement’s activities in Sultan Kudarat.
Ka Jongie, in response, aired regret for having joined the guerilla life, saying he and his comrades were made to believe that communism could help them retrieve their ancestral lands.
Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, head of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, lauded the infantry and Marine units under his operational jurisdiction for their continuing efforts in either neutralizing or winning enemies back to the folds of law. (Ali Macabalang)