5 NPA Rebels Surrender in Masbate, Cache of Arms Recovered

LEGAZPI CITY — Five alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA) surrendered to government forces on Sunday in Palanas, Masbate, authorities said. Col. Angelo Lutera, commander of the Army’s 903rd Infantry Brigade, told the Inquirer in a Viber message on Monday that the group included the vice commanding officer and a squad leader of an NPA unit operating in the province. “Upon their surrender, they turned over their firearms, including a Bushmaster rifle, a shotgun, and a .38-caliber revolver,” he said. Lutera said the former rebels also led soldiers to an arms cache where they recovered 250 rounds of M16 ammunition, 90 rounds of M14 ammunition, 22 improvised explosive device (IED) Claymore anti-personnel mines, two anti-tank IEDs, 64 improvised anti-personnel mines locally known as bugas-bugas, four rifle grenades, 36 M14 magazines, 10 AK-47 magazines, two M16 magazines, and assorted explosive components. He added that the Army’s 65th Infantry Battalion separately recovered 69 magazines and 367 rounds of M16 ammunition in Placer, Masbate, during a combat operation on Saturday. Lutera said the recent surrenders and recovery of firearms “reflect declining support for the communist insurgency in Masbate.” The five former rebels are undergoing custodial debriefing before being enrolled in the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP), which assists former members of communist insurgent groups who return to the fold of the law, he added. Maj. Gen. Aldwine Almase, commander of the Army’s 9th Infantry Division, urged remaining insurgents to surrender and avail themselves of the government’s reintegration programs. “Our soldiers remain ready to assist them in rebuilding their lives through the government’s reintegration programs,” Almase said./coa