TWO members of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) surrendered to government forces in Mountain Province on Thursday, the military said Sunday.

The Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) said the two NPA rebels were both from the Kilusang Larangan Gerilya of the Ilocos –Cordillera Regional Committee.

One of them was a squad leader of the said NPA unit, while the other was a member of the same squad. NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

They yielded themselves to the authorities on Thursday, July 26, around 10 a.m. in Baguio City. Both surrendered without firearms.

The Nolcom said the two NPA members surrendered following a series of negotiations also made by two former rebels and through the joint efforts of 77th Infantry Battalion, 54th Infantry Battalion, the Ifugao Provincial Police Offices (PPO) and Mountain Province PPO in coordination and support of the Local Government Units.

Earlier, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said over 2,000 New People’s Army (NPA) rebels have surrendered to the government since January.

Of the total, 607 were regular NPA fighters while the rest were with the Militia ng Bayan, underground mass organizations (UGMOs) and their supporters.

Under the government’s Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP) each rebel surrenderer is entitled to P15,000 financial support, P50,000 for livelihood and a remuneration for the firearm surrendered ranging from P12,000 to P210,000 depending on the type of firearm.

Meanwhile, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said a total of 118 former rebels who surrendered in the provinces of Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani, South Cotabato were granted a total of P7.6 million worth of financial assistance under the Enhanced CLIP.

Undersecretary for Peace and Order Bernardo Florece Jr. said the beneficiaries are currently housed in halfway houses or receiving facilities for security measures during the facilitation of their surrender.

“It is very important to provide the rebel returnees with the necessary assistance to give them a kickstart in reintegrating to the mainstream society where they belong,” he said. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo/SunStar Philippines)