NPA team leader, medic yield to Army in Surigao Sur

BUTUAN CITY - Two members of the New People's Army (NPA), including a team leader, surrendered to military forces in Carmen, Surigao del Sur, a military official said Tuesday. Lt. Col. Vincent Viray, commander of the Philippine Army's 36th Infantry Battalion (36IB), identified the surrenderers as Jeno Maca Montenegro, the team leader of the dismantled NPA Guerrilla Front-30 (GF-30) Sub-Regional Committee Westland, and Jenalyn Medrano Montenegro, the unit's medic. "They spoke of the hardships they faced while evading our pursuing forces. Their desire to reunite with their family, which they had left for years, prompted their surrender," Viray said in a statement regarding the duo's surrender on Monday. The pair turned over four high-powered firearms and ammunition to military personnel at the 36IB headquarters in Barangay Puyat, Carmen town. Viray said the 36IB is coordinating with the local government and concerned agencies to process support for the surrenderers under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local In tegration Program (ECLIP). "We urge the remaining members of the dismantled GF-30 to surrender and take advantage of the government's offer under ECLIP. The 36IB will continue its operations to rid Surigao del Sur of insurgency and promote peace and development," Viray added. Source: Philippines News agency