JUST IN | 2 NPA TERRORISTS YIELD IN ZAMBOSUR
Two wounded Communist NPA Terrorists (CNTs) surrendered to the Philippine Army’s 53rd Infantry “Matapat” Battalion (53IB), 44th Infantry “Agile N’ Stable” Battalion (44IB), and the PNP’s ZamboSur 1st Provincial Mobile Force Company (1st PMFC) and Dumingag Municipal Police Station (MPS) in Barangay Saad, Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur on July 8, 2022.
The two were brought to Zamboanga del Sur Medical Center at the Provincial Government Complex, Barangay Dao, Pagadian City for immediate medical attention after being wounded in an armed encounter with the 53IB and 44IB in Barangay Saad last July 4.
The CNTs were couples and were identified as Nelyn Ayas aka Clara and Jebbie Labito aka Yuri, former members of the defunct Main Regional Guerilla Unit (MRGU) of the CPP-NPA’s western Mindanao Regional Party Committee (WMRPC).
Clara and Yuri then joined Guerilla Front BBC (GF-BBC) after the MRGU was dismantled due to the Army’s and government’s intensified peacekeeping operations.
In a statement, 53IB Commanding Officer Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera said that the surrender of the two is proof of the government’s effective strategy against the CPP-NPA in the province.
“They are proof that our strategy [against CPP-NPA] is effective. We encourage their comrades —those still in the hinterlands—to lay down their arms and return now to the folds of law,” said Lt. Col. Herrera.
Meanwhile, Army’s 102nd Infantry “Brigade” Commander Brig. Gen. Leonel Nicolas said that the two CNTs will be taken care of, regardless of being an NPA.
“Your Army will always remain professional in handling and processing our former rebels, and for the case of Clara and Yuri, we will ensure that they will be medically taken cared of and protected,” said Brig. Gen. Nicolas.
The Army will start facilitating the enrollment of the two in the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) where they will receive an Immediate Cash Assistance worth 15,000 pesos and Livelihood Assistance worth 50,000 pesos.
