Mindoro Reds to surrender en masse

BAGUIO CITY — Dozens of communist leaders in Occidental Mindoro will surrender en masse in front of military and civilian government officials this morning.

Army Lt. Col. Elmer Quiros, commanding officer of the Occidental Mindoro-based 80th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army said 50 former members of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) will take their oath of allegiance to the Philippine government at the Occidental Mindoro provincial capitol training center in Mamburao town.

The former rebels from Paluan, Abra de Ilog and Mamburao towns earlier gave up their ideology and voluntarily swore to the military that they wanted to return to the fold of the law, Quiros explained.

Earlier, ground and air military operations were conducted in the three towns, forcing the rebels and their supporters to run for their lives and surrender to authorities.

Quiros said the rebel returnees will be turned over by their respective town mayors to Occidental Mindoro Gov. Josephine Ramirez Sato.

The military claimed that the unfulfilled promises of the CPP leadership of victory prompted the surrender of the 50 villagers.

Quiros claimed that more are expected to return to the fold of law in the coming months. Occidental Mindoro is one of the bastions of the communist insurgency movement in the country.