ZAMBOANGA CITY - Three New People's Army (NPA) rebels have surrendered to military authorities in Zamboanga del Sur, a top official announced Friday.

Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera, 53rd Infantry Battalion (IB) commander, said the three belonged to the Guerrilla Front BBC (Big Beautiful Country) of the NPA's Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee.

Lareno Enlab Fernan (alias Vandam) of Barangay Dilud, Dumingag; Norio Tiban Subano (alias Jurrie) of Barangay Sinunoc, Dumingag; and Danilo Tiban Subano (alias Remark), also of Barangay Sinunoc, surrendered at the headquarters of the 53IB in Camp Major David Sabido in Guipos, according to a Facebook post.

"The surrender of these three NPA rebels vouches for the effectivity of Dumingag town's counterinsurgency plan dubbed Oplan Amuma (nurture)," Herrera said.

The surrender was made possible through the 53IB's close convergence with the Dumingag Municipal Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, chaired by Mayor Joan Abejuela.

Brig. Gen. Leonel Nicolas, the Army's 102nd Infantry "Igsoon" Brigade commander, said the surrender was another manifestation of the community's rejection of communist-terrorist ideologies.

"The surrender of these three is tangible proof that CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines)-NPA's downfall is at hand," Nicolas said in another statement.

The three are undergoing custodial debriefing while the 53IB prepares their documentary requirements for their inclusion to the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program.

The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

The Anti-Terrorism Council also formally designated the National Democratic Front as a terrorist organization on June 23, 2021, citing it as "an integral and inseparable part" of the CPP-NPA that was created in April 1973. (PR)