BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – Officers of a New People’s Army front or territorial unit in Central Negros have been forced to give up living their lives on the run because of three things: weariness, hunger, and fear or kakapoy, kagutom, and kahadlok (KKK) in Hiligaynon.
This is based on testimonies from some of the 16 guerrillas of the New People’s Army under the Central Negros Front 1 who yielded to government forces on the eve of Martial Law commemoration, 20 September 2022.
These rebels include the front’s platoon commanding officer, Ka Jimbo, who surrendered with his wife, Ka Micmic, who is the medical officer of the same rebel unit.
The couple are among the ranking fighters of the Sentro De Grabidad Platoon, the main armed formation among the three platoons under the CN1 Front.
The couple and the other rebels gave up to the local formation of the Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict in Guihulngan City and soldiers of the 62nd Battalion.
KA Jimbo, a 24 year veteran of the NPA, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, said his longing for his family was one of the reasons he decided to return to mainstream society.
“Weariness, fear, and hunger are among our most difficult experiences in the countryside and pushed us to give up,” Ka Jimbo was quoted as saying in Filipino in a news release of the 62nd Battalion.
The 16 rebels took part in a ceremonial declaration and turn over in Guihulngan City Tuesday this week.
Micmic, on the other hand, who spent five years with the rebel unit said their lives are uncertain in the underground movement, which made them decide to surrender for the sake of their family.
