ORMOC CITY — Following a tip from a former rebel, the Philippine Army successfully facilitated the surrender of two active New People’s Army (NPA) remnants and recovered a substantial quantity of weapons and ammunition in Eastern Samar last Thursday.

Troops from the 78th Infantry Battalion (78IB), acting on information provided by a former Yunit Militia member of the NPA, located two active NPA members who were involved in a clash with government forces on 25 July 2024, in Barangay Osmeña, Gen. MacArthur, Eastern Samar.

78IB commander Lt. Col. Joseph Bugaoan said that during the debriefing of the informant, valuable information was gathered about the whereabouts of Lilio Betasolo Jacobe, alias “Baoy/Toder/Rodel,” Vice Squad Leader of Squad 2, Apoy Platoon and Enorio Afable Aquilla, alias “Rokles/Bokoy/Medi/Pari,” a member of the same squad. Both rebels surrendered in Barangay Abejao, Salcedo, Eastern Samar.

“In a decisive intelligence-driven Focused Military Operation (FMO), our soldiers successfully tracked down and persuaded two key remaining NPA members to surrender, leading to the recovery of significant war materiel,” Bugaoan said.

Following their surrender, Jacobe and Aquilla revealed the locations of hidden arms caches in the villages of Osmeña and Laurel, General MacArthur, Eastern Samar.

The soldiers recovered two M16 rifles, two M14 rifles, one M1903 Caliber .30 Springfield rifle, and one AK-47 rifle. Along with these six weapons, soldiers seized hundreds of rounds of ammunition, several magazines, personal belongings and subversive documents of high intelligence value.

Meantime, Brigadier General Noel Vestuir, commander of the 802 Infantry Brigade, credited the successful operation to the tireless efforts in conducting comprehensive debriefings with former rebels and implementing programs such as the E-FReE Families program and Project APOY.

The Enhanced Friends Rescued Engagement through Families (E-FReE) program empowers the families of active NPA members to encourage their loved ones to surrender and seek assistance from the military and local government.

Vestuir said Project APOY (Advocating Programs that promote reconciliation and Optimizing gains Yielding to Peace), an initiative aimed at fostering peace and reconciliation, has been instrumental in facilitating the surrender of former NPA members, including those from the now-dismantled Apoy Platoon.