MANILA, Philippines – Four minors were among the 66 New People’s Army (NPA) members who surrendered and 25 others who were captured in separate military operations around the country since September.
Reports revealed that 17-year-old Jessica Reyes alias Irish and Narlito Sawaling Montes alias Bencio surrendered to government troops on separate occasions in Davao City and Compostela Valley last September.
Reyes is a member of Guerilla Front (GF) 54, Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SMRC) under Ka Jong operating in Davao City.
Montes, on the other hand, is a member of Kaloy, Sandatahang Yunit Propaganda (SYP), GF 27, SMRC under a certain Isko.
In addition, Randy Telan alias Denver, 16, and Judith Empyel alias Dian, 17, both NPA members, were captured during a military operation in Isabela on Sept. 2.
These reports further confirmed the communist group’s continued recruitment and exploitation of children warriors.
Four other minors who admitted to joining the NPA also surrendered to government troops last August.
Despite their vehement denial, evidence of child recruitment by the illegal armed group clearly confirms their violation of children’s rights and defiance of the international standard against the recruitment and use of child combatants.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Army continue to gain ground as intensified military operations and nation-building activities resulted in 66 NPA members returning to mainstream society from around the country since September.
This high volume of rebel returnees includes the surrender of 18 rebels in Albay, 10 in Compostela Valley and nine in Mindoro.
In Compostela Valley, all 10 surrenderees belong to the Sandatahang Yunit Propaganda (SYP) under the GF 27 operating in the area.
Rene Panganuron Egsulan alias Kiador, team leader of squad Kaloy of the same guerilla unit, led his group in surrendering to government troops. This was followed by five others headed by Rodolfo P Cemine alias Baldo, squad leader of Squad Primera of the same guerilla unit, who surrendered on Oct. 8.
Cemine, a full-time member of the CPP-NPA who had served the underground movement for 12 years, revealed that conflict with party members, unfulfilled promises and undemocratic processes are some of the reasons that made his group decide to renounce their armed struggle and embrace a peaceful life.
He also admitted that the deployment of the soldiers belonging to the Peace and Development Teams in different barangays in their area of operation has constricted their operations.
In Mindoro, nine members of the GF-1 Islacom Mindoro, Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee under the leadership of Jaime Padilla alias Delo/Viernes turned themselves in to the government troops last Oct. 1.
At the same time, 18 NPA members heeded the government’s call of reform and surrendered in Albay last month.
In addition, 25 NPA rebels were apprehended while 18 others were killed since September, with the Army field units’ unrelenting security operations in various provinces. The relatively low number of rebel apprehensions indicate minimal activity of NPA groups in the country, evidence that the rebel group has been weakened by the Army’s intensified operations and surrenders from among their members.
The influx of NPA rebels returning to the fold of law can be attributed to the combat and non-combat operations of the military coupled with the continued cooperation of all stake-holders in putting an end to insurgency.
The numerous surrenders show the sincerity of the government in giving necessary assistance to help the rebel returnees reintegrate to civilian communities, under the government’s Social Integration Program (SIP).