BY CRIS DIAZ
CAMP ALAGAR, Cagayan de Oro City: Forty three members of the outlawed New People’s Army (NPA) yield to Gen. Benjamin Acorda, Jr. Chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in an acceptance ceremony held Saturday here.
During the ceremony, Acorda led the oath of loyalty of the surrendered communist rebels who vowed to support the government’s efforts to end the insurgency in Northern Mindanao.
The Chief PNP commended the surrenderers for their courage to denounce the communist propaganda that ruined the lives of innocent people in a war of deception and notoriety.
“I am confident that your decision to return to the mainstream society will encourage others in the hills to come down and lay down their arms for us to attain lasting peace, development and progress in our the communities,” Acorda said.
The 43 surrenderers, all under the North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC) based in Bukidnon also led law enforcers in the recovery of a cache of 15 high powered firearms buried in Talakag, Bukidnon.
The firearms consisted of one caliber 50 improvised sniper rifle, seven M16 rifles, three M14 rifles, three CZ rifles and two caliber . 45 pistols were also exhibited to the media during the surrender rites.
An unidentified rebel surrenderer who spoke in behalf of the rebel group thanked the PNP and the military for the treatment accorded them contrary to allegation spread by the leftist that they would be killed once they surrendered.
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