Calbayog city: The Philippine National Police (PNP) lauded the voluntary surrender of a member of a criminal gang in Calbayog City, saying it boosts their campaign to dismantle local threat groups.

According to Philippines News Agency, the surrenderer was identified as alias Capa, 31, a construction worker and farmer, and resident of Migara village, Calbayog City. He is listed as a member of the Magbutay Criminal Gang, associated with various illegal activities in the area.

He surrendered in the afternoon of July 24 through the coordinated efforts of the provincial intelligence unit and provincial drug enforcement unit of the Samar Police, in collaboration with the Migara sub-station of the Calbayog City Police, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group - Western Samar, and the 804th Maneuver Company of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 8.

'The voluntary surrender of alias Capa is a clear indication that our intensified efforts against criminality are gaining ground. We welcome his decision to abandon the path of violence and urge other members of criminal groups to do the same. The PNP is ready to help those who want to return to the fold of the law,' Col. Arwin Tadeo, Samar Police acting director, said in a statement Friday.

He also turned over a revolver (unbranded with a defaced serial number) and three live rounds of ammunition for a caliber .38 revolver. He is now under the custody of the Calbayog City Police.

The criminal gang he is affiliated with is considered one of the most notorious groups in Samar for their involvement in a series of killings in the province's first district. Its leader, Carlito Parani Magbutay Jr., was killed in Calbayog City in May 2023. After the gang leader's death, the organization has been subjected to monitoring and police operations.