15 ‘rebels’ surrender in Negros Oriental  

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Fifteen alleged New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas surrendered to authorities in Ayungon, Negros Oriental on Saturday.

The surrenderees, who claimed to be members of the NPA’s Sentro de Grabidad Platoon-Negros Front 2, turned over a shotgun, two rifles and two handguns to a joint team of the po-lice and military in Barangay Tambo.

The rebels told officials of the the Army’s 94th Infantry Battalion (IB), provincial police and the Special Action Force that they were fed up living in the mountains due to the intensified operations of the military.

Meanwhile, 25 former rebels who earlier returned to the fold of the law in Himamaylan, Negros Occidental, have received P10,000 each from the Department of Social Welfare and De-velopment, according to Capt. Eduardo Rarugal Jr., chief of the 94IB civil-military operations office.

Rarugal said the amount would be used to start a small business of the surrenderees as they wait for their benefits   to be processed under the enhanced comprehensive local integra-tion program.