NPA rebels surrender in Agusan del Sur —AFP

With their firearms, several members of the New People's Army and supporters of the rebel group surrendered to the 3rd Special Forces Battalion of the Philippine Army at Brgy. Poblacion, Sibagat, Agusan del Sur on Holy Wednesday,  April 18.

They are composed of six rebels, 14 "militia ng bayan," and 30 mass supporters from Sitio Kahayag, Barangay Banag-banag and Sitio Bantolinao, Barangay Padiay of said municipality.

They brought with them (1) M653 rifle, (1) Cal.22 rifle, (6) 12 gauge homemade shotguns, (2) cal .38 pistols, and one (1) fragmentation grenade.

“I am so tired and hungry. I don't want to participate in the atrocities anymore and stop living like this. I know that staying in the mountains as a member of the NPA will not give me a better future,” one of the rebels said.

Sibagat mayor Maria Liza Evangelista said the local govenrment unit has given initial assistance to the surrenderers in the form of rice, goods and cash while their Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) benefits are being processed.

Last December 21, 2018, the municipality of Sibagat declared the NPA rebels  as “persona non-grata” after they latter abducted the CAFGU Active Auxiliary (CAA) members and regular soldiers of the New Tubigon patrol base.

Datu Kahapsay (not his true name), a charismatic tribal leader, led the surrenderees and said, “We now pledge our loyalty to the 'true Government' and not to the communist terrorists.”

“It has been long enough that we have been manipulated by the NPAs. I thank President Duterte for giving us (Lumads) a chance to recover from the years of destruction, oppression and the lies of the communist ideology which caused misunderstandings among the Manobos," he added. 

Lieutenant Colonel Joey Baybayan, commander 3rd Special Forces battalion said, the surrender "is a manifestation of how LGUs and other stakeholders jointly exerted efforts that eventually led to the mass surrender thereby attaining the long been desired peace and development."

Brigadier General Andres Centino, commander 401st Infantry Brigade said, “The mass surrender in Sibagat will have a great impact to the CNTs (Communist New People’s Army Terrorists) and will surely result to more members returning to the mainstream society. The terrorists are clearly losing their mass support and they will continue to disintegrate.”

Major General Franco Nemesio Gacal, commander of the 4th Infantry Division appealed to the remaining NPA rebels to make use of Lent as the best time to "repent and surrender." —Merlyn Manos/LDF, GMA News