A total of 11,605 New People’s Army fighters and supporters have surrendered to the government, according to the military.
And an official based in Kiangan, Ifugao, said 25 communist rebels and their supporters had recently surrendered in the upland town of Ambaguio.
Lt. Colonel Narciso Nabulneg, commanding officer of the army’s 54th Infantry Batallion, said the 25 were members of the Militia ng Bayan and three were supporters.
Col. Noel Detoyato, AFP public affairs office chief, said Thursday the 11,605 surrendered during the period from Jan. 1 to Dec. 26 this year.
Of that number, 1,222 were regular NPAs; 1,398 were “Militia ng Bayan” operatives; 408 were “Sangay ng Partido sa Lokalidad”; 1,133 were “Underground Mass Organization” members, and 7,444 others were considered rebel supporters.
Detoyato said 120 rebels were killed and 196 were arrested during military operations.
The number of seized high-powered firearms was placed at 787, while the low-powered ones totaled to at 1,074. Some 546 improvised explosive devices and 310 camps were also seized during military operations.
AFP Chief Benjamin Madrigal earlier said the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army celebrated their 50th anniversary Wednesday without any real achievement, with their members fighting for a lost cause.
“Again, as far as we are concerned, the CPP-NPA have no reason to celebrate and no achievements to be proud of. We are reminding them that their options remain the same: we are ready to accept them, and they can avail of the benefits of ‘Balik-Loob’ or they might just die for a lost cause,” he said.
The NPA, the Communist Party of the Philippines’ armed wing, is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. With Ben Moses Ebreo
