Female rebel yields, wants free education

DUMAGUETE CITY , Philippines -—  A female member of the New People's Army who admitted participation in an encounter in early April in Balayong, Pamplona town in Negros Oriental, surrendered to authorities of the 79th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army.

Lieutenant Colonel Harold Anthony Pascua, 79th IB commander, identified the woman as Maribeth Lascunia, alias Railyn and Antonina, an alleged member of the PG Squad 1, alternate PG AYP Team and Head Technical of the NPA's South East Front of the Komiteng Rehiyon Negros.

Railyn is a functional staff, being the head of the technical and communications team of the Sentro De Gravidad of the South East Front of the communist New People's Army, entered in the organization as an observer and eventually became one of them.

She is the daughter of Jury Lascunia, alias Rebas, a former NPA member assigned to the PG Squad 2 and VSL Squad 1 SEF-KRN who surrendered to the same Army battalion in July 2013.

Upon her request, Railyn stayed at the 79th headquarters in Siaton for several days where she recuperated from splinter wounds and that her father had also requested for the withholding of information about the whereabouts of her daughter for security reasons. 

She was with four others during the encounter, namely, Nelson Onciano, alias "Andoy", the group's team leader,  Fermin Namuco alias "Jurry", Jessie Dacaldacal, alternate squad leader, at the same time vice commander, and Ricky dela Cruz, also known as "Jolan".

Both Andoy and Jurry were killed during the encounter, Dacaldacal had just recuperated from gunshot wounds in  different parts of his body, while Jolan could nowhere be found.

According to Railyn, Jolan had fatal gunshot wounds but had no information about his whereabouts.

In an interview, Railyn wanted to avail of the free education offered by government under the comprehensive social integration program, if this is the way she can help her family rise from the clutches of poverty.

During a press conference Monday morning at the battalion headquarters in the town of Siaton, about an hour's drive south of this capital, Army authorities disclosed the amazon or female fighter was wounded during the encounter last April 3 and sought refuge and rested overnight at a house of a local resident of Sitio Baliwon in Barangay Balayong.

The next day, Army troops arrived at the said house where she stayed and convinced her to surrender. They offered medication for her wounded left arm.

A barangay official of Balayong was also present at the time to assure her of proper treatment and that no harm will come to her.

Railyn then agreed to go to the house of the barangay official where she showered and changed clothes before she left with the Army authorities to Sibulan where an interview took place.

Afterwards, she was brought to the battalion headquarters in Siaton last April 4 where she voluntarily stayed there although her presence at the Army camp was kept in the dark as requested by her father for security reasons, according to Lt. Col. Pascua.

The father of Maribeth was informed through a letter on April 5 that she was at the battalion headquarters. It was timely as he had a scheduled interview the next day with Alice Legarde of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office.

The father expressed joy and gratitude after seeing his daughter undergoing treatment at the Army camp and requested that she stay there further for safekeeping.

According to Lt. Col. Pascua, it was the father's request that prevented the Army from disclosing information that a wounded "amazon" was captured after the encounter.

Both have been cooperative with government authorities as they intimated their desire to avail of the government programs for rebel returnees.

Present during the press conference were Governor Roel Degamo, Dr. Jess Cañete of the Commission on Human Rights, Brigadier General Francisco Patrimonio, commander of the 302nd Infantry Brigade and Ms. Legarde of the provincial DSWD.

On the other hand,  Dacaldacal talked to some members of the press in Dumaguete for the first time since his capture after the encounter.

Dacaldacal  and Railyn had confirmed pronouncements issued by 79th IB commanding officer Lt. Col. Harold Anthony Pascua, it had negotiated for their surrender for more than one hour but to no avail, because as armed rebels, to surrender is not in their vocabulary. /JMD (FREEMAN)