CAMP CAPINPIN, Tanay, Rizal: A ranking leader of the communist New People’s Army (NPA), together with a rebel fighter under him, turned their backs on armed struggle after meeting with the local peace engagement team, led by the mayor of Bansud, Oriental Mindoro.

The military’s records showed that both former rebels were listed as active members of the NPA’s Sub-Regional Military Area 4D, which had operated in Palawan before shifting to the island provinces of Mindoro Occidental and Mindoro Oriental.