IMPASUGONG, Bukidnon – Top New People’s Army (NPA) Leader identified as Chrislyn Mission Balamad @June/Ising/Ka-Nur/Al operating in Western Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental and Lanao area surrendered to 8th Infantry (DEPENDABLE) Battalion under the operational control of 403rd Infantry (PEACEMAKER) Brigade on September 29, 2023.
Chrislyn Mission Balamad is the Secretary of Sub-Regional Committee – V (SRC-5), under the North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC). She is 30 years old and has spent almost 12 years in the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG). The surrenderer revealed that she was only 18 and about to graduate from college when she was recruited at Mindanao State University (Main Campus) in Marawi City to join the CTG. According to her, she was an active member of the League of Filipino Students (LFS) at the university when she was convinced by their leaders to carry arms and participate in the terrorist movement attempting to overthrow the democratic government of the Philippines.
Aforementioned surrenderee further revealed that the morale of the hierarchy of both party committee and operational command of the CTG went very low because of the mass surrender within their ranks due to the implementation of Support to Barangay Development Program (SBDP) of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC). The relentless Focus Military Operation dislocated their disposition which according to her destroyed her unit which contributed much to her decision to surrender to the government forces. She also added that she plans to finish her baccalaureate degree, pursue to earn Juris Doctor and dreaming to be a lawyer in the near future.
The surrender of Chrislyn Balamad also paved way to the surrender of her party husband Ryan Sagubay Daluniag @Kiram/Meka/Gom/Adong/Wewe/Tuyang, Commanding Officer, Sub-Regional Operations Command (SROC) and 1st Deputy Secretary of the SRC-5 on October 08, 2023 to 5IB, 1ID, PA through the negotiation efforts of the 8th Infantry Battalion, 4th Infantry (DIAMOND) Division, Philippine Army.
“The ranks within the Communist Terrorist Group is rapidly falling as surrenderees continue to flood not only our Brigade but in almost all of the Philippine Army units all over the archipelago. This is the result of our whole-of-nation approach as fighting insurgency and terrorism indeed is not only our job but of every Filipino. Let’s continue the unity as the CTG is nearing to its end,” says Brigadier General Michele B Anayron Jr., the Brigade Commander of 403rd Infantry Brigade.
