BALER, Aurora -- Two rebels in Aurora returned to the folds of government Friday.

They voluntarily surrendered to Army's 91st Infantry Battalion (91IB) in Baler, Aurora.

91IB Commanding Officer Lt. Col. Reandrew Rubio said alias “Kristina” is 21 years old and a resident of Nueva Ecija. She surrendered 1 M14 rifle and 1 magazine with 10 rounds of live ammunition.

“She disclosed that she is the Youth Organizer of Kabataang Makabayan and a Medic of New Peoples’ Army (NPA) operating in the provinces of Aurora and Nueva Ecija,” Rubio said.

The other was identified as alias “Bert” who is 41 years old, also a resident of Nueva Ecija and a member of the NPA group operating in Aurora. He surrendered a M16 rifle with 2 short magazines and 26 live ammunition.

“We attribute these surrenders to the efforts of our local Task Force in Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict in Aurora that supports the relentless efforts of our troops in combat operations. Both efforts are indispensable to encourage more members of the NPA in the provinces of Aurora and Nueva Ecija to surrender,” Rubio said.

Both are now in the custody of 91IB for proper documentation and interview.

In a statement, 7th Infantry Division Commander Major General Alfredo Rosario Jr. welcomed the surrender of the two NPA personalities, saying that abandoning the bandit group is the right choice.

“Their act of presenting themselves to the authorities is a courageous move on their part. Being deceived and recruited to join the armed struggle is not their fault, it is a crime committed by the leaders of the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA. I am glad for this new development in Aurora and hopefully, there will be more surrenderees in the future,” Rosario added. (PIA)