CAMP EVANGELISTA, Cagayan de Oro City – The Municipal Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (MTF ELCAC) of Las Nieves, Agusan Del Norte headed by its Chairman, Municipal Mayor Karen Rosales has facilitated the surrender of four (4) CPP-NPA Terrorists (CNTs) at the Municipal Hall of Las Nieves, Agusan del Norte on January 5, 2023.
Together with other LGU Officials and Las Nieves Municipal Police Station personnel headed by Police Captain Auriel Lumasag, Chief of Police, Mayor Rosales warmly welcomed the surrenderees and commended their decision to finally change their lives and return to the folds of the law.
The said CNTs who surrendered two (2) AK-47 Rifles and two (2) Caliber .38 Revolver Pistol were identified as “Dindin”, Head Liason Staff and Taxation; and members Cesar “Magulang” Corelia, “Nicky”, and “Jamby” of the Platoon 2, Sub Regional Sentro De Gravidad Sagay (SRSDG SAGAY) under Sub Regional Committee (SRC3), North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC).
According to “Dindin”, the hardships she experienced inside the organization due to the intensified implementation of Executive Order No. 70, the desire to reunite with their families and the future of their children were among the reasons they decided to lay down their firearms. She said that they went to Brgy Consorcia through the Brgy Chairman, Hon Wennie Loquinte, to ask some assistance to inform authorities of their plan to surrender.
Meanwhile, in her statement posted in the LGU Las Nieves official Facebook page, Mayor Rosales cited the said surrender as tangible result of the efforts of the Municipal Peace and Order Council (MPOC) which brought the government services closer to the far-flung barangays.
Furthermore, through the initiative of MTF ELCAC, said surrenderees were given food packs and financial assistance from the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) and will provide healthcare assistance particularly to the pregnant surrenders, Nicky and Jamby.
In a statement, 4ID Commander Major General Wilbur C Mamawag lauded the initiatives of the MTF ECLAC Las Nieves in giving opportunities to the former rebels. He said that when the local leaders govern best their constituents and the whole of nation approach is working effectively, the insurgency will surely stop and will never thrive in the communities.
“We urge the remaining CTG members, return to your families and live peacefully. Stop being part of a communist terrorist organization, anytime you can be arrested, apprehended or killed in an encounter. Cherish your loved ones, they await your safe return. Your whole Joint Task Force Diamond reiterates its commitment of to help those who will voluntarily surrender and abandon the communist terrorist group (CTG),” MGen Mamawag said.
The MTF ELCAC led by Mayor Rosales formally turn-over the surrenderees to the Headquarters of 23rd Infantry Battalion (23IB) led by Lt Col Jeffrey Balingao for further processing and preparation of their application to be enrolled in the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP).
