CPLA members surrender 203 guns to Cordillera cops

 CAMP DANGWA La Trinidad, Benguet – Members of the defunct Cordillera Peoples Liberation Army (CPLA) surrendered 203 firearms to the Police Regional Office in the Cordillera last week.

The PRO is in charge of disposition, management, and disposal of all firearms and explosives surrendered or turned in by the former rebels to the government.

The turn-over of firearms was in line with memorandum of agreement between the Government represented by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and members of the Cordillera Bodong Administration (CBA) and CPLA.

The closure agreement stipulated it was the CPLA’s final disposition of arms and forces and its transformation into a socio-economic unarmed groups.

A total of 442 firearms had been inventoried of which only 203 were accounted; 22 were initially turned-in during the inventory rounds, 55 were turned-in during the oath taking of the Cordillera Forum and Peace Development, 9 in Abra, 16 in Apayao, 13 in Benguet, 18 in Ifugao, 21 in Kalinga and 49 in Mt. Province.

Recently, the turn-in of firearms in Benguet was held in Camp Dangwa in a ceremony with Gov. Nestor B. Fongwan of Benguet as guest speaker attended members of the Philippine Army, CFPDI under Tomas Tanacio, OPAPP under director Alexander Umpar and PRO-COR personnel headed by regional policedirector, Chief Supt. Benjamin B. Magalong.

The police director said active participation of the rebels was manifestation of the CBA-CPLA’s continuing efforts towards achieving a meaningful and lasting peace in Cordillera with the OPAPP which is mandated to oversee, coordinate, and integrate the implementation of the comprehensive peace process to attain a just and lasting peace for the nation and for all Filipinos.