BY CRIS DIAZ
CAMP ALAGAR, Cagayan de Oro City – A mass surrender of 189 members and supporters of the outlawed New People’s Army (NPA) to government authorities in Butong, a village of Quezon, Bukidnon, the police said Wednesday, Aug 13, 2025. Police Major Joan Navarro, spokesperson of the regional police command based in Camp Alagar, Cagayan de Oro City, said that the military and the police jointly facilitated the mass surrender on Aug. 8, 2025, seen as the largest surrender of rebels and supporters in Northern Mindanao this year. The group consisted of 141 regular NPA members, 44 Militia ng Bayan members, and four White Area personalities. They also turned over 72 assorted firearms and eight pieces of war materiel, Navarro said in a statement released Wednesday. Brig. Gen. Rolindo M. Suguilon, police regional director for Northern Mindanao, said that the mass surrender was a significant milestone in the government’s fight against insurgency in the region. “This mass surrender is proof that the unity of our security forces, local government units, and communities can bring lasting peace to our region. We welcome our brothers and sisters back to the folds of the law and assure them that the government is ready to help them rebuild their lives,” Suguilon said. Maj. Gen. Allan Hambala, Army Commander of the Davao-based 10th Infantry Division, said that the mass surrender is a”major blow” to the operational capability of the NPA’s North Central Mindanao Regional Command. Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri who witnessed the mass surrender along with other local officials, pledged continuous assistance to the rebel surrenderer through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Each surrenderer received P5,000 cash, 10-kilo rice and food packs, part of the surrender ceremony.
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