Rogene Maghinay alias Marlon, former commander of the defunct Guerilla Front KARA, and a certain Reno Andang, Yunit Milisya (YM) of defunct GF-KARA, voluntarily surrendered two (2) high-powered firearms (HPFA) to the Commanding Officer of the Philippine Army’s 53rd Infantry “Matapat” Battalion (53IB) Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera at 53IB Headquarters, Camp Major David Sabido, Guipos, Zamboanga del Sur on February 20, 2022.
Marlon surrendered one (1) M14 rifle with one (1) magazine loaded with 17 live ammunition, while Reno Andang surrendered one (1) M16 rifle with one (1) magazine loaded with 13 live ammunition.
In a statement, 53IB Commanding Officer Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera expressed his gratitude to Marlon, who made the right decision by surrendering to Dimataling Municipal Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (MTF-ELCAC) in August 2021, for surrendering the HPFAs.
“The surrender of these HPFAs is a manifestation that the province of Zamboanga del Sur is truly an insurgency-free and development-ready province. Communist-NPA terrorist sympathizers are now going back to the folds of law, and contributing to a more peaceful society,” said Lt. Col. Herrera.
For his part, 102nd Infantry “Igsoon” Brigade (102Bde) Commander BGen. Leonel Nicolas said that the government will always welcome those who will decide to lay down their arms and start their lives anew.
“The government will welcome with open arms those [NPAs] who want to go back to society and start their lives anew,” said BGen. Nicolas.
GF-KARA was declared “dismantled” in September 2019. The province of Zamboanga del Sur was declared as an “insurgency-free and development-ready” province in 2021. Shortly after, San Miguel, a previous conflict-affected municipality, was also declared as an “insurgency-free” municipality also in 2021. — 53IB
