THE 4TH Infantry Division said the communist terrorist group (CTG) once again suffered a major setback after another high-ranking leader and four other regular members surrendered on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, in Agusan del Norte.
Lt. Col. Jeffrey Balingao, 23rd Infantry (Masigasig) Battalion commanding officer, identified them as Arnel Bahian, the deputy secretary of Sub-Regional Committee 3 (SRC-3) of the North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC), Analyn Mondas, Jaquelyn Caube Egtub, Charilyn C Rebita, and Glen F Antigua, members of Platoon 2, SRSDG SAGAY, SRC-3.
They surrendered to the soldiers of the 23IB at its headquarters at Jamboree Site, P-6, Barangay Alubihid, Buenavista, Agusan del Norte.
The surrenderees claimed they could no longer take the hunger, desire for safety, and extreme exhaustion from the relentless military offensives. They also wanted to reunite with their families.
In the first two months of this year, a series of focus military offensives were launched by the 23IB to hunt down the remnants of SRSDG Sagay. As a result, four CPP-NPA terrorists (CNTs) were killed, two arrested, and nine surrendered, summing up to 15 neutralized CNTs from Jan. 8 to date.
Major General Jose Maria R. Cuerpo II, 4ID commander, commended the surrenderees for their decision and committed to providing the necessary assistance to help them get back on their feet.
“The end of this criminal group in the provinces of Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur in the Caraga region is near at hand. The continuous neutralization of its members during the recent encounters and the snowball of surrender thereafter is a clear manifestation of this development,” he said.
“While we acknowledge this series of surrenders as a positive step toward peace, we want to make it clear that our troops remain resolute in their mission to eliminate the threat posed by NPA criminals through the continuous conduct of military operations to hunt down its remaining members,” Cuerpo added.
