Butuan city: The Police Regional Office in the Caraga Region (PRO-13) has reported the successful neutralization of 202 members of the New People's Army (NPA) through a series of arrests and surrenders conducted from January to September 16.

According to Philippines News Agency, the operations also resulted in the recovery of 45 firearms and 39 explosives. The breakdown of neutralized members includes 143 arrests and 59 captures. PRO-13 further detailed that 40 of those neutralized were listed in the Periodic Status Report (PSR), while one was a non-PSR member.

Additionally, the report highlighted that during these arrests, authorities seized one firearm and nine explosives. Brigadier General Marcial Mariano Magistrado IV, the chief of PRO-13, has committed to continuing intensified operations targeting members of the communist movement who have outstanding warrants of arrest.

Magistrado also made a public appeal to the remaining NPA rebels in the region, encouraging them to abandon the insurgency, return to lawful society, and seek peaceful lives with their families and communities.