36 NPA rebels in Aurora yield

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO –– At least 36 people presented as New People’s Army fighters in Aurora province surrendered to authorities at the Central Luzon regional headquarters in Camp Olivas here.

They yielded after a “series of negotiations” with military and police officers, according to Brig. Gen. Valeriano de Leon, regional police director, said in a statement.

He called the surrender part of the local peace engagement activities.

The rebels’ photographs released by Camp Olivas were pixelated, while their names or aliases were not mentioned in the statement.

The surrender made the 36 persons “eligible” to avail of the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (e-clip) for rebel returnees.

De Leon said they would be provided with benefits such as livelihood, medical, education, housing, and legal assistance.

“Our government has several programs to retool you so that you could all become even more productive members of our society,” he said.

The military’s Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) reported the surrender of 364 rebels in four regions in the first three months of 2021.

The surrenderers in the Cordillera Autonomous Region, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, and Central Luzon regions gave up 34 firearms, according to Nolcom chief Lt. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr.

He said the 396 rebels who surrendered in 2020 yielded 191 firearms. INQ

LZB