Four New People’s Army (NPA) youth sector leaders in Eastern Samar who were all reported as minors, surrendered to the Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP) team in Jiwaran village, Jipapad town, Eastern Samar on July 10.
Philippine National Police (PNP) identified the four youth leaders only by their aliases as Heeyon, 15; RG, 17; and Jenny, 17, all in Grade 10; and Lemei, 15, a Grade 7 student.
The said minors admitted to having been a part of the NPA’s Underground Mass Organization (UGMO) youth sector.
UGMOs are established by the NPA inside open sectoral groups and open alliances to advance and support the armed atrocities and terrorist activities of the said rebel group.
At present they are under the supervision and monitoring of the RCSP team in Jiwaran village in Jipapad.
Since they are all minors, the police regional office is coordinating with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for proper assistance and counseling.
The surrender of said minors is believed to be the result of PNP's campaigns to regain the trust, confidence, and support of those indoctrinated by the communist terrorist groups in the far-flung villages in Samar.
“Our PNP personnel are risking their lives in reaching out to NPA-infested areas to guide and educate the populace. With this and some of the accomplishment reports from RCSP, I can say that we are winning against insurgency,” PNP Eastern Visayas Regional Director Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said.
RCSP is a program that aims to address the issues identified by the communities themselves through the provision of government projects while ensuring sustainable development and promoting peace.
Last year, around 368 villages in Eastern Visayas were considered NPA hotspots wherein 213 were declared cleared from the rebels around July as confirmed by Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division Capt. Ferdinand Tutanes.
Of the 213 villages, 94 are in Samar province, 45 in Eastern Samar, 41 in Leyte, 29 in Northern Samar, and four in Southern Leyte.
Meanwhile, 126 villages in Northern Samar and 29 villages in Eastern Samar are still being cleared.
In addition, around 385 rebel fighters were neutralized by the authorities as of the latest reports this year.
257 surrendered voluntarily or through persuasion from local authorities, 65 were killed, and 63 were captured.
“Majority of NPA fighters surrendered because the local government units are active partners in convincing them. Lack of operational expenses and support to families of NPA members causes demoralization within NPA ranks,” Maj. Gen. Edgardo de Leon, commander of the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division said in a press conference last June.
Out of desperate needs
Most youth fighters of the NPA who surrendered to the authorities said they were tricked to join the organization with the promise of financing their studies and giving out financial support to their remaining families.
Others revealed that they were born to rebel parents and at a young age were then pushed into taking the same path and ideology they have with the belief that they are all fighting for a cause before the youth themselves decided to break the chains.
One cannot blame them considering that most fighters were from far-flung or isolated areas and hard-to-reach villages with high poverty rates, and out of desperation clings to the lies, promises, and ideals of the group.
Poverty
As of the recent reports of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), at least three out of every 10 families in Eastern Visayas are poorly based on the result of the first semester 2021 survey.
Leyte province maintained its poverty incidence for three years at 31.3 percent.
Samar’s figure dropped to 30 percent from 32.2 percent while Southern Leyte registered a higher incidence from 22.9 percent to 25.5 percent.
Northern Samar province is one of the most improved provinces as poverty incidence dropped to 23.1 percent from 30 percent three years earlier.
But poverty incidence in Biliran increased to 22.4 percent from 18 percent.
Poverty incidence in Tacloban City, the lone highly- urbanized city in the region, was recorded at 14.7 percent in the first semester of 2021, higher than the 13.1 percent recorded three years ago.
Meanwhile, poverty incidence among families in Eastern Samar was estimated at 36 percent which is the highest in the region.