Rebels urged to live peacefully, return to fold of the law

MAGUINDANAO – Philippine military officials have urged anew various rebel groups in the restive southern region to surrender peacefully and avail of the government’s amnesty program.

The renewed calls came following the recent surrender of over a dozen Muslim extremists and communist rebels in Mindanao where security forces are battling for hearts and minds to lure state enemies to return to the fold of law. 

Lt. Gen. William Gonzales, chief of the Western Mindanao Command, said that 11 members of the pro-ISIS group BIFF or Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters have surrendered over the weekend. 

“The downfall of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters is near at hand,” he said following the group’s surrender. “The continued conduct of decisive military operations by the 92nd Infantry Battalion led to the voluntary surrender of the members of the BIFF-Karialan Faction in Libungan town in North Cotabato province.” 

Quoting a report from Maj. Gen. Alex Rillera, commander of the anti-terror Joint Task Force Central, Gonzales said the BIFF members also handed over four sniper rifles, one M79 grenade launcher, two M1 Garand semi-automatic rifles, three anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launchers and two Uzi submachine guns.  

Gonzales said those who surrendered were each provided a bag of rice and other assistance from the Tulong ng Gobyernong Nagmamalasakit program of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao government.  

“The snowball of BIFF surrenders is a result of the convergence among government agencies and stakeholders, including the local government units, military, and police, among others. Through our collaborative efforts, the decades-old security concerns in Central Mindanao will soon be totally resolved,” he said as he renewed calls for other extremists to surrender peacefully and take advantage of the government’s amnesty program. 

He said three members of the New People’s Army rebels led by a platoon leader also yielded in the town of Kalamansig in Sultan Kudarat province. They also surrendered two M16A1 automatic rifles and one M14 rifle. 

“Due to the intensified combat and non-combat operations of the Joint Task Force Central, the influx of surrenders continues as alias Tata, commanding officer of Dabu-Dabu Platoon, of the NPA’s Far South Mindanao Region and two others submitted themselves to the 37th Infantry Battalion and the Palimbang Municipal Police Station, and the 12th Regional Mobile Force Company,” Gonzales said. 

“The surrender of former rebels manifests the continuous dwindling of the communist terrorist group. Our efforts to convince the CTG (communist terrorist group) remnants to lay down their arms have proven effective, as evidenced by the multifarious gains that we already achieved. Nevertheless, all our successes are attributed to the collaborative efforts among security agencies and various stakeholders. Rest assured that we will continue to level up our operations to sustain the momentum,” he added. (Mindanao Examiner)