LA CASTELLANA -- Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. reiterated Friday his call for the communist rebels to surrender for the province and the country to achieve peace and development.

Marañon made the call in his speech during the centennial celebration of this town Friday.

The celebration was capped last night by the Bailes de Luces presentation.

“During my first term, my first inaugural address eight years ago to be exact in 2010, in the last portion of my speech I appealed and have been making the appeal repeatedly like a broken record, challenging the rebels to come down. It resulted to the surrender of 80 rebels,” Marañon said.

He said the province has given them livelihood assistance and scholarship to the children of the surrenderers who now lives a peaceful and normal life.

“Today, I would like to appeal to those who are still there at the mountains to return to the fold of government because we are ready to give assistance and talk peace with them. They say those who live by the sword will die by the sword,” the governor said.

Mayor Rhumyla Nicor-Mangilimutan said she has the same stand as the governor about the rebels.

She added that under her administration, the rebels have not committed violence in the town because of her continued campaign for peace.

Mangilimutan also said that she would always go to the hinterland areas and talk to the people to know their needs.