Antique: The 61st Infantry Battalion (61IB), part of the 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) of the Philippine Army, has issued a call for the last known member of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Antique to surrender and benefit from the government’s End to Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) program.

According to Philippines News Agency, Lt. Col. Jekyll Dulawan, commanding officer of the battalion in the province, reported that no enemy activities have been detected in Antique. However, a single remnant of the NPA’s Komiteng Rehiyon (KR)-Panay from Barangay Igparas, Sibalom, remains due to ongoing focused military operations.

Lt. Col. Dulawan urged Julius Segundera Morga, known by the alias ‘Tonton,’ from Igparas, Sibalom, to surrender and take advantage of the government program. “He should avail of the government program,” Dulawan conveyed during the Joint Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) and Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council (PADAC) 3rd Quarter Meeting.

Morga has been identified by a surrenderer as the only remaining member from Antique. He is currently assigned in Tapaz, Capiz, where remnants of the KR still exist, although Antique has been declared insurgency-free.

The Army officer assured Morga of his security upon surrender. Dulawan emphasized that government forces are protectors of the people and encouraged rebels to engage with ELCAC, which is a comprehensive government approach aimed at aiding their reintegration into society.