4 NPA rebels surrender in Misamis Occidental

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Four communist insurgents surrendered to the military in Misamis Occidental after a series of negotiations, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Thursday. Lt. Col. Emmanuel Sison, commander of the 1st Military Intelligence Battalion, said four members of the New People's Army (NPA) surrendered to to the 1st Military Intelligence Battalion of the Army's 1st Infantry Division in Brgy. Mitugas, Tudela town in Misamis Occidental on Tuesday. Sison said harsh life in the mountains and ongoing government operations against the NPA forced the insurgents surrender. "The NPA members decided to lay down their arms because of the hardships they are experiencing in the mountains. They have been on the run with the relentless combat operations against them for many years and the promise of better life has not been realized ever since," Sison said. "Their mass bases are no longer supportive to their cause because of the massive information campaign of the government against them. They are further demoralized since they had learned that their leaders are living luxuriously in the cities while they live like wild animals in the jungles surviving on what ever they could forage and gather," he added. The rebels yielded four automatic rifles and a grenade launcher. Officials said the rebels availed of the government's Balik-Baril program. The amnesty program, which started in the early 1990s, aims to convince the rebels to abandon their armed struggle and return to the fold of the law. Those who surrender are also given opportunities to undergo livelihood training. The government pays as much as P25, 000 for weapons surrendered by rebels, aside from at least P18,000 in initial aid, for them to start a new life. Earlier this week, military officials announced the capture of six rebel camps in the southern province of Compostela Valley where troops had recovered explosives and ammunitions. The bases were so far the largest that troops have captured this year. The NPA, military wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the National Democratic Front (NDF), is fighting for nearly four decades to topple the government and install a communist government. - Al Jacinto, GMANews.TV