Another member of the New People's Army also gave himself up Saturday to a CAFGU detachment in Ayungon, Negros Oriental, together with an M-16 assault rifle, to avail of the Balik-Baril program of the government, the military said.

Col. Honorato de los Reyes, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, however, withheld the identity the rebel returnee, for security reasons.

The surrender Saturday came three days after Randy de Baguio, alias Ka Rex, also surrendered to the 61st IB Charlie Company in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental.

Baguio, who joined the rebel movement only in December last year, also surrendered a homemade caliber .38 revolver.

Under the government’s Balik Baril program, the military is paying P35,000 for every M-16 or M-14 assault rifle surrendered by members of the NPA.

De los Reyes yesterday attributed the surrenders of rebel returnees to the dialogs they have conducted in Negros island, exposing the deceptions and intention of the CPP-NPA to topple down the government.

Soldiers of the 79th Infantry Battalion recently arrested two suspected NPA members in Sibulan, Negros Oriental.

The arrest of Julito Alban of Bohol, and Benjamen Edoloverio of Cebu, both members of the Komiteng Rehiyonal- Sentral Bisayas, yielded a 9mm pistol with ammunition, military records showed.

Alban and Edoloverio reportedly arrived in Negros Oriental last year, and were  among the KR-Sentral Bisayas fighters who had fled from Cebu and Bohol, military said.*GPB

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