NPA commander encourages comrades and followers to surrender

By 20th Infantry Battalion, 8ID PA
June 24, 2013

BRGY. MAGSAYSAY, Lope de Vega, Northern Samar – Lemuel Moreno alias Ka Kulas, the squad leader of Seksyon Komite 2 (SK2), Front Committee 2 (FC2), Northern Samar Provincial Party Committee (NSPPC) of the Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee EVRPC who surrendered to 20th Infantry (We Lead) Battalion, along with his wife, Nida Lugares Moreno alias Mina, Medical Offr, SK2, F2, NSPPC, EVRPC last June 13, 2013 urged his comrades and followers to surrender.

Ka Kulas calls for his comrades and followers to return to the mainstream of society during the giving of immediate cash assistance amounting to Fifty Thousand Pesos (P50,000.00) as part of the remuneration after he turned over two (2) caliber .45 pistols, in a simple ceremony held yesterday, June 23, 2013 at 10:00 o’clock in the morning at Barangay Trojillo, Bobon, Northern Samar.

The said amount was given in consonance the AFP’s Gun for Peace Program that provides corresponding amount to former rebels who turn-in firearms as a manifestation of their commitment to leave the revolutionary organization and to live decent and normal lives with their families.

According to alyas Kulas, he decided to surrender after knowing of the program from some of the residents in their former mass base barangays in the hinterlands of Bobon, Northern Samar.

Due to the continued presence of government troops in the barangays that conduct peace and development activities, alyas Kulas and his group has experienced hardships of hiding, moving from one place to another that forced him to realize the futility of his continued struggle since the mass base that they considered their own, are no longer supporting them. According to Kulas, “Makuri an sige tago kay diri na kami ginsusuportahan sa mga tawo nga gin lalauman namon nga mga masa sa mga barangay (It is hard to keep on hiding since the people that we believe to be our mass base would no longer help us in the barangays).

LTC Noel Vestuir, the Commanding Officer of 20IB on his part said that, due to the continued combat and social pressure exerted by the government troops and with the collaboration and support of all the stakeholders to include the people, the movements of the armed NPAs in the hinterland barangays were restricted and they could no longer hide in the barangays since the people are already tired of their extortion activities and supporting the revolutionary movement.

Vestuir said, “With the continued and concerted efforts of all our peace and development stakeholders, we were able to bring the programs and services of the government up to the remotest barangays in the area. This has allowed the people to realize that indeed the government is sincere in bringing peace and development in the barangays unlike what the NPAs are doing, they took advantage of the people’s hard earned resources to support their revolutionary struggle”.

Vestuir also calls for the remaining NPA regulars to lay down their arms and avail the current programs of the government that could help them as they return to the mainstream of our society. He also thanked the stakeholders as well as the people in the barangays for their continued support to the ongoing peace and development efforts of Philippine Army in the area.