16 alleged NPA members give up to military in Zamboanga del Sur

September 27, 2018

Sixteen alleged New People's Army rebels, including two minors, surrendered to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) due to military operations in Zamboanga del Sur on Wednesday.

Lt. Col. Marlowe Patria, commander of the Army's 53rd Infantry Battalion, said the 16 surrendered to his battalion based in  Camp Major David Sabido in Guipos town in the province.

Patria said the rebels were members of the Section Committee Kara, a unit under the NPA's Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee.

Patria named one of the women who surrendered was alias Cel, who he said was a college student when recruited by the NPA last year.

Patria said the 16 were recruited by the NPA through force and intimidation. "This is the reason why members only last in the jungles for few months or almost a year, at most," he said.

Patria said most of those who surrendered cited hardship.

"Most of these surrenderees said they can no longer withstand the hardship they suffer on a daily basis while on continued stay in the jungles, got tired of their useless cause and they now want to live in peace and live normal lives with their families," he said. DMS