By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD CITY — Twelve former members of the New People’s Army (NPA) received P60,000 in financial assistance at the Guihulngan Satellite Skills Development Center in Barangay Poblacion, Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental last Friday.
Each of the returnees received P5,000 through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program, part of the Protective Services Program offered by the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PWSDO).
They surrendered to the Guihulngan City Task Force to End Local Communists Armed Conflict (GCTF-ELCAC), the Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion (IB), and the Guihulngan City Police Station.
According to the Army’s 62nd IB, two of the 12 returnees were in jail serving their sentences.
Mayor Felomino Reyes, chairperson of the GCTF-ELCAC, emphasized in his statement that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and police are not aiming to wage war, asserting that conflict is not a path to peace.
“Our lives are not to be gambled with. You can live as a normal person with your family. Convince your colleagues, who are still in the mountains, to return to the government,” Reyes urged.
