Army claims proof of NPA ‘child soldiers’

Nineteen out of the 80 New People’s Army (NPA) rebels, who voluntarily surrendered last Monday to government authorities in Bukidnon province, were minors, bolstering the military’s claims that the communist group is recruiting child warriors.

Army 4th Infantry Division (ID) chief Maj. Gen. Victor Felix said Benjamin Salusad, alias Commander Nonong, admitted that some of his former fighters at the NPA’s Guerrilla Front-6 operating in North Central Mindanao were recruited as minors from tribal groups in Bukidnon.

“These revelations of Ka Nonong and

his followers only confirm and strengthen our previous reports that CPP/NPA/NDF (National Democratic Front) has been employing children in their organization,” he added.

“Our previous attempts to make this public were always met with their staunch denial that this communist organization has been victimizing minors ever since. Maybe with the help of Ka Nonong and with the testimony and affidavit of his companions, the public would finally know the truth,” Felix stressed.

The Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA has repeatedly denied recruiting child warriors within its ranks.

Feliz said his command is exhausting all efforts to rescue other children who are still with the NPA employed as fighters, couriers, observers and messengers.

“These children have fallen victims and we are not going to stop our operations until we are able to rescue each of them from the claws of deception of the NPA,” said Felix.

According to Felix, the young rebels, whose age ranges from 10 to 18 years old, came from the Tigwahanon, Matigsalog and Manobo tribes from San Fernando, Bukidnon.

They were recruited by the NPA at a very young age. Some have been with the communist rebels for the last five months while others have been fighting for the group for about nine years already.

Last Monday, Salusad, tagged as the top NPA leader in Bukidnon, led 80 of his fighters in returning to the folds of the law, bringing along 25 high-powered firearms.

They cited inequality in the communist organization as reason for their surrender. –Mario J. Mallari, Daily Tribune