KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato (PIA) -- The government extended immediate cash and medical assistance to a wounded New People’s Army (NPA) rebel who surrendered in Tboli town, a military official said Monday.
The injured NPA rebel, Ricky Limbay alias Jeric, surrendered to the Army’s 11th Special Forces Company, said Cpt. Krisjuper Andreo Punsalan, 5th Special Forces Battalion (5SFBn) commanding officer.
Cpt. Punsalan said Limbay, who is 20 years old received P5,000 cash assistance and food packs from LGU Tboli and brought to a hospital in Surallah town to check his injured arm.
Further, he will be enrolled to the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) where he can also avail of the services of other government agencies, such as psycho-social debriefing from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD); skills training by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA); employment and capacity building from the different institutions of the government; and security as guaranteed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police.
Limbay was among the NPA rebels who figured in a clash with government troops in Barangay Tudok, Tboli during the combat operations last December 27 until January 2022.
“Noong narinig naming nagputukan na, tumalon ako sa bangin at yung ibang kasama ko nagtakbuhan na rin lalo na narinig nila yung helicopter. Kaya ako napilay at nasugatan dahil sa pagtalon ko sa bangin,” Limbay said.
“Naligaw ako sa aking mga kasama, pagod, gutom at masakit ang aking katawan kaya gumawa ako ng paraan para makalapit sa mga tao at magsurrender,” he added.
Meanwhile, Cpt. Punsalan commended the community in Sitio Matosom, Salabanog and Mangga in Brgy. Laconon for immediately reporting to them the presence of alias Jeric.
Recently, these sitios and nearby barangays were subjected to the Community Support Program (CSP) and Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP) by LGU Tboli and the 5SFBn.
According to Tboli Mayor Dibu Tuan, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) mechanisms are effective because of the recent surrenders of CTG local guerilla units and NPA terrorist members from October 2021 up to present.
“Our conduct of CSP and RCSP is gaining grounds and it must be sustained. These development-oriented approach coupled with the AFP and PNP’s peace, law enforcement and development support activities and combat operations is a good practice that every LGU must adopt and sustain further,” Mayor Tuan said.
Executive Order 70 signed in December 2018 created the NTF-ELCAC that institutionalizes a whole-of-nation approach in obtaining exclusive and sustainable peace, giving the government an effective solution against communist terrorists. (ORVR)
