Manila: At least 44 communist rebels from two insurgent factions surrendered in Pampanga, military and civilian officials said on Monday.
This is one of the biggest batch, and the surrender comes amid increasingly warming ties between President Rodrigo Duterte’s government and the 47-year-old insurgency movement led by the New Peoples Army (NPA) and its ideological backbone, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
Governor Lilia Pineda, in a speech, promised to provide support to the rebels to get back to mainstream lives as civilians.
“They would be provided with livelihood and whatever they need to continue their lives away from fighting the government,” she said.
Mayor Norberto Gamboa of Sta. Ana town and Major Ericson Bulosan of the Civil Relations Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines witnessed the handing over of weapons of the rebels in Camp Aquino in Tarlac City.
The former rebels pledged allegiance to the government.
Last July 6, 69 NPA rebel surrendered in Lubuagan, Kalinga in northern Philippines.
Maj Bulosan said more rebels are expected to surrender in the coming days under the new administration.
AFP Civil Relations Service head Brig. Gen. Roderick Parayno said the surrender is “timely and relevant as we venture into the realm of the administration of President Duterte who is focusing on the path of healing”.
Twenty-five of those who surrendered Monday are from the NPA and 19 from the Rebolusyunaryong Hukbong Bayan (Revolutionary People’s Army or RPA), which is based in the Central Luzon region.
The CPP-NPA are currently engaged in a peace process with the Philippine government and representatives from both sides are expected to meet in Oslo, Norway.
