Rebel pa, son surrender to Army

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

 

BACOLOD City – A man and his 16-year-old son turned themselves in to the Army’s 94th Infantry Battalion (IB) in Ayungon, Negros Oriental last Friday after identifying themselves as rebels in Barangay Buenavista, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental.

The Army withheld the names of the two former rebels for their security.

According to the Army, the 40-year-old father was a member of the Yunit Militia, while his son was a medical officer for the Sentro De Gravidad (SDG) Platoon of the Central Negros Front (CNF) 2.

The father surrendered a .38 caliber revolver while his son turned over a .30 caliber Springfield sniper rifle to the military.

The Army, based on the statement of the elder rebel, said the series of encounters and the relentless combat operations of the 94th IB in the hinterlands of Himamaylan City, Kabankalan City, and Binalbagan town against the New People’s Army (NPA) urged him to surrender for fear of his son’s safety.

The minor was recruited when he was only 11 years old, the Army said.

He was with the NPA group that engaged in the firefight with the 94th IB on April 19, 2020 at Sitio Tugas, Barangay Carabalan, Himamaylan City where two soldiers died, the military also said in a press release.

They said that the rebel group suffered casualties during that encounter but were able to carry the bodies of their comrades with them.

Lieutenant Colonel Angelo Guzman, 94th IB commander said that the battalion will facilitate the application of the two former rebels to avail of the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP).

For his part, Brigadier General Noel Baluyan, commander of 302nd Infantry Brigade (IBde), said they condemned the NPA’s recruitment of child soldiers consistent with the principles of the International Humanitarian Law and Laws pertaining to the protection of children in the armed conflict.

“Children and many others like the minor-surrenderer do not belong in the warzones. They do not deserve to live in violence and fear. They should belong in the safety of their homes and communities,” Baluyan said.