1002nd Brigade members destroy firearms from NPAs
TIMRA Reports • 14:45 PM Wed Nov 17, 2021
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By:
John M. Unson
GENERAL SANTOS CITY - Soldiers on Wednesday destroyed more than 30 assault rifles turned in by New People’s Army guerillas in recent weeks.
The firearms were cut into pieces using power tools by personnel of the Army’s 1002nd Brigade at their headquarters in Malungon town in Sarangani, an activity witnessed by reporters from across central Mindanao.
The event was also capped off with the surrender of a ranking NPA leader, whose name was withheld pending his relocation to a safe area.
The NPA has a reputation for attacking members who have returned to the fold of law and their families.
Major Gen. Ernesto Torres, Jr, commander of the 10th Infantry Division, Brig. Gen. Potenciano Camba and Col. Oliver Maquiling of the 1002nd and 701st Brigade, respectively, were present in both events.
Torres told reporters the government’s unrelenting campaign against rebel groups and the joint peace initiatives of the Philippine Army and local government units have ushered in the surrender of many communist rebels in recent years.
He said the NPA’s influence on the local communities in areas under the 10th Division have been weakened by the continuing tactical and humanitarian interventions by Army units and local officials involved in backdoor maneuvers aimed at reintroducing rebels into mainstream society.