22 former NPA rebels receive safe conduct pass

ILIGAN CITY (MindaNews / 24 July) — Twenty-two former communist rebels who surrendered last year received their safe conduct pass Thursday morning at the headquarters of the Army’s 103rd Infantry “Haribon” Brigade in Kampo Ranao, Marawi City. 

Brig. Gen. Billy O. dela Rosa, 103IB commander, told MindaNews in a phone interview that the former rebels from the Communist Party of the Philippines ­– New People’s Army also received financial livelihood assistance package of ₱65,000 each from the government’s Enhance Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E- CLIP). 

He said more former rebels who returned to the fold of the law will get their pass and benefits, too, “pending completion of the required documents.”

Dela Rosa said the former rebels belonged to the Sub-Regional Committee – 5 of the North Central Mindanao Regional Party Committee operating in the boundary of Lanao del Sur, Bukidnon, and Iligan City.

“The safe conduct pass you received today is more than just a document. It is a profound symbol of trust and guarantee of your safety and the government’s unwavering commitment of your peaceful integration to society,” he said in his message to the former rebels.

“It signifies your courage to choose the path of peace, to embrace a life free from 

conflict and to return to a warm embrace of your families and communities. It ensures that you can move freely and participate fully in the healing and rebuilding our nation without fear,” Dela Rosa added.

He said the government is now “in the final push to finish the remaining threats” in the area, referring to the last remaining CPP-NPA fronts and the ISIS-inspired Dawlah Islamiyah / Maute Group. (Richel V. Umel / MindaNews)