Two weeks ago, a 54-year-old NPA member and his teen-warrior son abandoned the armed struggle and surrendered firearms to the 94IB in Barangay Buenavista, Himamaylan City. GPB
A 17-year-old pregnant member of the New People’s Army surrendered to the Bravo Company Community Support Team of the 94th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Cabcaban, Bindoy, Negros Oriental.
Capt. Oliver Usog, civil military operations officer of the 94IB, reported Saturday that the former rebel, known as alias as Ericka, was accompanied by her mother as she surrendered to authorities.
Her real identity is being withheld for security reasons, Usog said.
He added that Erikha told them that being pregnant made it very difficult for her to be always on the run to escape from the relentless operations of the 94IB.
“If I am not pregnant, I could not have left the group even if I wanted to,” Ericka was quoted as saying in the press statement issued by the Army unit.
She claimed there were others who expressed their intention to leave the NPA but were threatened by the leadership of the underground movement.
Usog said that Ericka, along with other minors, were recruited to join the NPA in May this year.
Col. Leonardo Peña, newly-installed commander of the 302nd Infantry Brigade, called on parents to closely monitor the activities of their children.
