Two remnants of the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels surrendered late last week to the Army’s 23rd Infantry Battalion under the operational control of the Army’s 402nd Infantry Brigade, officials said Wednesday.
402nd civil-military operations chief Major Francisco Garello said for security reasons, the military authorities only identified them as alias Michael, and as a certain alias Niko former members of Sandatahang Yunit Propaganda (SYP) Kingdom, Guerilla Front (GF) 4A, North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC).
“These two CPP-NPA rebels are survivors of the running gun battle against the government troops on May 10 – 12, 2020 in Sitio Kalipay, Gingoog City,” said Garello.
He said the government troops conducted combat operations and relentlessly pursued the remnants who survived the series of skirmishes on May 10 – 12, 2020 against more or less 70 NPA rebels belonging to the Guerrilla Front (GF) 4A of the North Central Mindanao Committee.
“These operations are complemented with constant dialogues and information campaign awareness with the Barangay officials, IP leaders, residents and relatives of NPA members to entice them to surrender,” said Garello.
The said clashes resulted in the killing of 16 rebels to include 4 top ranking NPA leaders that brought them to the brink of collapse.
Garello said believing that there is no hope for them inside the communist group, they surrendered to the 23IB and revealed an arms cache hidden along their escape route and led the troops to found its location in the mountainous area near the encounter site in Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental.
The troops recovered 4 high-powered firearms namely 1 AK47 rifle, 1 M14 rifle, 1 M16 rifle, and 1 M1 Garand rifle; numerous magazines and ammunitions; assorted medicines; subversive documents; and, other personal belongings.
Garello said since January 2020, a total of 44 NPA rebels and eight (8) members of UGMO and its supporters have surrendered while 19 were killed and 19 apprehended during the operations respectively.
“The communists’ rebels operating in the boundary of Agusan del Norte and Misamis Oriental is on the brink of collapse. Presently, no leaders and in disarray,” said 402nd Brigade commander Brigadier General Maurito L. Licudine.
We will relentlessly pursue them to either decimate them or force them to surrender, according to Licudine. (Ben Balce)
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