‘OPLAN AMUMA’ LGU Initiative Pushes NPA Rebel to Surrender in Dumingag, ZDS
The Local Government Unit of Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur “OPLAN AMUMA” resulted in a Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) rebel to surrender on April 4, 2021.
“Amuma” is a Visayan word, which means to nourish, cultivate and sustain, is the municipality’s counter-insurgency operations program, spearheaded by Dumingag Municipal Tas Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (MTF-ELCAC) Mayor Joan Abejuela in partnership with the Philippine Army’s 53rd Infantry “MATAPAT” Battalion, to encourage NPA rebels to surrender and regain their lives as responsible and productive citizens.
53IB Bravo Company Commander 1Lt. Neil Kim Garcia and 53IB Alpha Company Commander 1Lt. Janryl Gumalad identified the NPA rebel as Carlito Mariano, a.k.a. “Lito/Balas,” 46 years old, and a resident of Purok 4, Barangay Saad, Dumingag.
“Lito”, who voluntarily surrendered to Mayor Abejuela after the extensive implementation of “OPLAN AMUMA,” was a unit militia member of GF-BBC, CPP-NPA’s Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee (WMRPC). He yielded his improvised M1/M14 rifle while undergoing custodial debriefing at Saad Patrol Base in Dumingag.
53Ib Commanding Officer Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera said the Dumingag MTF-ELCAC’s “OPLAN AMUMA” is a comprehensive program involving the communities and government agencies to encourage NPA rebels to go back to the folds of the law. “We encourage all the municipalities to emulate on Dumingag’s initiatives for peace and progress,” Lt. Col. Herrera said.
“OPLAN AMUMA” efforts were also in collaboration with the 547th and 551st Army Engineer Battalions under Lt. Col. Michael Lemi, 9th Regional Mobile Force Battalion led by PMaj. Nedzfar Mohammad Hassan, and Dumingag Municipal Polic Station led by PMaj. Mark Jerome Nebria.
(Photo: 53IB Bravo Company Commander 1Lt. Neil Kim Garcia receives an improvised M1/M14 rifle yielded by a.k.a. “Lito/Balas,” a unit militia member of GF-BBC, CPP-NPA’s Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee (WMRPC) who surrendered to Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur Mayor Joan Abejuela on April 4, 2021. Photo courtesy of 53IB, PA)