Rebels, �child warriors� surrender

Eight members of the New People’s Army, two of them minors, surrendered to combined elements from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) in General Nakar, Quezon, the military disclosed.

The former rebels also turned over to the security forces two shotguns, one .45 caliber handgun, and one .38 caliber pistol.

In a report, Col. Alex Rillera, 202nd Infantry Brigade commander, bared that the “child warriors” are aged 13 and 17.

“They were forced by the rebels to join their ranks and were forbidden to leave a terrorist camp under threat of severe repercussions to their families,” Rillera said of the minors who were the fourth and fifth child warriors to be rescued from the communist insurgents in the past two months.

They will be transferred to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for debriefing and to be given professional care so that they “may quickly recover from the physical and psychological trauma that they suffered after being forced to carry arms despite their innocence,” the official noted.

The six other former rebels, meanwhile, will be processed for enrolment to the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) where they are expected to receive financial aid amounting to around P70,000.

Other benefits they can avail of also include livelihood assistance, medical assistance, education, housing, and legal assistance for their reintegration to mainstream society.

The names of eight former NPA members were withheld by the authorities for their security.