By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – The Army’s 302nd Infantry Brigade (IBde) reported that an alleged member of the New People’s Army (NPA) at Barangay Carabalan, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental voluntarily surrendered to the military last Friday.
The 21-year-old rebel was reportedly the Team Leader of Squad 1, Regional Strike Force (RSF), Komiteng Rehiyon Negros-Cebu-Bohol-Siquijor (KR NCBS), according to the Army.
Upon his surrender to the personnel of the 16th Scout Ranger Company (16SRC), he also turned over a .45-caliber pistol, KG9 caliber .9mm, a magazine of .45 caliber pistol loaded with seven rounds of ammunition, a KG9 magazine loaded with 21 rounds of ammunition, and several subversive documents of essential value.
Colonel Leonardo Peña, 302nd IBde commander, warmly welcomed the rebel returnee and thanked him for his decision to lay down his arms and move out of the communist group.
Peña encouraged the remaining members of the group to heed the government’s call for peace, as he stressed that the relentless effort of the government to hunt them down will surely give them a miserable life.