ASUNCION, DAVAO DEL NORTE: Eight members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA), operating under Eastern Mindanao have surrendered to the government forces and were presented to the media, Wednesday, at the Philippine Army’s 60th Infantry Battalion (IB) headquarters here. 60th IB commander Lt.Col. Ronaldo Sarmiento said that the rebels formerly operated in the areas of Agusan del Sur, Davao del Norte, and Davao de Oro. They also handed over 11 assorted firearms and ammunition, and other various war materials. All eight surrenderers had already been endorsed to their respective local government units for immediate assistance. They will also be enrolled later in the government’s Enhanced-Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP). Under the E-CLIP program, the people in the community are being informed of the government’s flagship program for the reintegration of former members of the CPP-NPA, National Democratic Front (NDF), and Militia ng Bayan, and provide them the benefits and assistance as they go back to mainstream society. Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) has been relentless in the implementation of the Armed Forces of the Philippine’s Development Support and Security Plan “Kapayapaan” alongside President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order No. 70, which institutionalized the Whole-of-Nation Approach to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict. Eastmincom chief Lt. Gen. Jose Faustino Jr., welcomed the surrender of these NPA members, noting that this is a breakthrough in the anti-insurgency campaign.
