TACLOBAN CITY — Two alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA) have surrendered to the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 8 (RMFB-8), marking another breakthrough in the police force’s intensified campaign to dismantle remaining insurgent elements across Eastern Visayas.
According to RMFB-8, the first surrenderee — known by the alias “Kapgo” — is a yunit militia member under the Regional Guerilla Unit of the Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee (EVRPC). He surrendered at the 801st Maneuver Company headquarters in Arteche, Eastern Samar after a series of negotiations.
The second surrenderee, identified as “Larry,” a 39-year-old farmer and member of the Pambansang Kilusan ng Magsasaka (PKM), an affiliated underground mass organization of the communist insurgency, yielded through the joint efforts of the 801st Maneuver Company, the Provincial Intelligence Team–Northern Samar, and RIU-8.
Both individuals are now under the custody of the 801st MC for documentation and processing of their enrollment under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP), which provides livelihood assistance, financial aid, and reintegration support for former rebels.
RMFB-8 officials said the peaceful surrender of the two reflects improving trust and cooperation between communities and security forces.
The surrender coincided with another operational success by RMFB-8 after the 801st Maneuver Company recovered a cache of firearms, explosive materials, and subversive documents in a mountainous area of Barangay Inayawan, Arteche, Eastern Samar on November 28.
Led by PLt. Moses Medina, the unit recovered a home-made shotgun, a laptop, one kilogram of ammonium nitrate, deformed steel bars and nails used for improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and other logistical materials suspected to have been intended for future communist terrorist group (CTG) operations. Police said the documents seized are of high intelligence value.
Authorities said the discovery of the firearms cache neutralized a potential security threat to nearby upland communities still recovering from recent insurgency-related disruptions.
The recovered items are now under the temporary custody of the 801st MC and will be turned over to appropriate PNP units for proper documentation and disposition.
PLtCol. Dionesio Maestre Jr., officer-in-charge of RMFB-8, commended the accomplishments of the 801st MC, calling the simultaneous gains “a critical win for peace.”
“The voluntary surrenders and the massive recovery of war materiel demonstrate the effectiveness of our operational strategy and, more importantly, the growing trust our communities place in RMFB-8,” he said.
Police authorities vowed to continue security and community-based efforts to encourage more rebels to return to the fold of the law and prevent insurgent groups from rebuilding their networks and capabilities in Eastern Visayas.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
