A hungry and exhausted member of the New People’s Army voluntarily surrendered to the elements of 94th Infantry Battalion, 3ID, PA in Barangay Carabalan, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, yesterday, October 19, the 303rd Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Philippines said in a press statement.
The army identified the surrenderee as alias Jan-jan (true name withheld for security reasons) and was part of the group that was encountered by the troops of the 94IB in a series of clashes in Barangay Carabalan, Himamaylan City that started last October 6.
He surrendered with him two (2) M16A1 rifles with ammunitions and magazines, the statement said.
According to him, their group suffered casualties so he was tasked to carry one of the firearms of his 8 wounded comrades, but he saw an opportunity to escape from his group while they are evading the pursuing elements of 94IB.
The military said that when he got separated it gave him an opportunity to surrender with the help of a local civilian who approached the elements of 94IB.
The extreme fatigue, exhaustion, fear, hunger, confusion and senseless direction of their organization are the primary factors that made @Jan-jan decide to surrender, the army stressed.
In his local dialect, he described that they he is one of the many that were deceived by the NPA propaganda and recruitment, the army shared.
The Philippine trooper added that he realized that their leaders don’t have a clear direction on their armed struggle against the government. He also realized that having joined the NPAs, did not give him what he was promised before, instead, he wasted his time and his life fighting for a senseless cause.
BGEN Inocencio Pasaporte, 303rd Brigade Commander in his message said that, “The Philippine Army and the LGUs are very much willing to assist those NPA members who want to return to the folds of the law and are sincere to abandon the armed struggle.
