Former Rebel Surrenders in Sablayan

A former communist rebel surrendered to government authorities in Occidental Mindoro last week, police said in a belated report.

Gabriel Campos Acosta, 56, also known as “Darmo” or “Dizon,” turned himself in to police in Barangay Paetan, Sablayan on June 4, 2025, according to a statement from the Sablayan Municipal Police Station.

Acosta was identified as a member of the Communist Terrorist Group operating under the remnants of a dismantled unit of the New People’s Army’s Mindoro Island Committee, which was active in several municipalities including Calintaan, Rizal, Sablayan and Santa Cruz.

The surrender was facilitated by a joint operation involving multiple units including the Provincial Intelligence Team of Occidental Mindoro, regional intelligence divisions, the Philippine Army’s 68th and 76th Infantry Battalions, and various police special action forces.

The laborer from Barangay Paetan voluntarily surrendered at 2pm, police said, without elaborating the details and circumstances about the rebel’s personal background.

The country has been battling a decades-long communist insurgency led by the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, which the government has designated as a terrorist organization.