TWO 18-year-old members of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) voluntarily surrendered with their M16 rifles in Laak, Compostela Valley Province last Aug. 12, the military’s Eastern Mindanao Command (EasMinCom) reported. The two, identified only as alias Nicky and Pido, both from the Dibabawon tribe and claim to have been students at a school in Loreto, Agusan del Sur, were assisted in their surrender by local tribal chieftains. They said they were new recruits, having entered the NPA only last Aug. 1, although Nicky has been working as a supply errand boy for the armed group since 2016. Lt. Col. Emmanuel A. Canilla, 60th Infantry Battalion commander, welcomed the surrender, and said military operations will continue in areas threatened by the NPA. “Our campaign to end the criminal acts of the NPA shall continue and will only intensify as we reach the point of success… These surrenders are proof that our efforts are gaining momentum and, for as far as our legal orders can cover, we do not intend to stop.” Nicky and Pido will be enrolled in the government’s Comprehensive Local Integration Program to help them return to mainstream society. — Mindanao Bureau
