TANDAG CITY (MindaNews / 08 November) – Three members of the New People’s Army (NPA), including a mother and her son, surrendered Friday in Sibagat, Agusan del Sur, the military said.

Nora Antong, a.k.a. Maymay, a former medic of Guerilla Front 21, and her son, Jundel Antong alias Jazz, who once served with Guerilla Front 19, yielded to the 48th Infantry Battalion (48IB).

Both fronts, which the military claimed have been dismantled, were part of the Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee.

Another former rebel, Jocelyn Perez alias Janice, also a member of GF19, surrendered alongside the two.

Their surrender was facilitated by local officials and residents of Sitio Yumbagan, Barangay Sto. Niño, Bayugan City, where the Antong family lives.

Lt. Col. Kenny Rae Tizon, 48IB commanding officer, described their surrender as a significant step toward peace and reconciliation.

“We will continue our efforts to persuade the remaining CNTs to surrender and reunite with their loved ones,” Tizon said.

In military parlance, CNT means Communist NPA Terrorist, the term used by authorities as part of the effort to frame the NPA as a terrorist group. The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

The 48IB, a unit of the 7th Infantry Division based in Central Luzon, has been deployed to Eastern Mindanao for internal security operations. It operates under the 901st Infantry Brigade and the 4th Infantry Division, securing Sibagat and Bayugan City. (Queenie Casio/MindaNews)