A rebel leader claiming to hold a high position in the CPP-NPA-NDF has surrendered voluntarily to the 59th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army in Rosario, Batangas.

The surrender included the turnover of various types of weapons reportedly used commonly in the group’s operations in Batangas, Quezon, and Mindoro.

For the Southern Luzon Command of the Philippine Army, the surrender indicates a weakening stance of the leftist groups in the region. 

In 2023, over a thousand others surrendered in CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, and Bicol.

"'Yung dati nilang 'baseng masa' kung tawagin ay kasalukuyang nakikipagtulungan na sa ating kababayan, hindi lang gobyerno, may mga people's organization tayo d'yan, mga NGO," Col.l Dennis Caña, chief of the Southern Luzon Command-AFP, said.

The government has declared the absence of an active NPA front in the country. 

More than 1,700 firearms have been confiscated from communist and local terrorist groups.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said, "We can now report that there is no active NPA guerrilla front as of December 2023. We will continue to fight for this."

"Sa area po ng Southern Luzon, lahat po ng guerilla front dito ang tawag natin ay weakened o mahina na," Caña added.

With the belief that the strength of leftist groups is declining, authorities anticipate more rebels to surrender in the coming months.

The government has prepared programs to help reintegrate former rebels into society as they embark on a new chapter in their lives.