ISABELA, Philippines, 6 May — Military and local officials in Basilan yesterday accepted the surrender of 145 rebels, including 67 who claimed to be members of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The surrenderees were immediately disowned by the MILF, which branded them as nothing but “impostors” taking advantage of the government’s financial offer for those who give up.

Lt. Gen. Roy Cimatu, chief of the military’s Southern Command, distributed small checks to each of the 145 “reformed rebels” in ceremonies on the southern island of Basilan.

Cimatu said the money is intended to help the ex-rebels get started in civilian life, who are to be given amnesty.

“They are not supposed to give sanctuary to the Abu Sayyaf,” Cimatu said. About another 40 MILF guerrillas who have not yet surrendered were giving aid to the extremists, he said.

“If they come back to folds of the law, they should really become good citizens, productive citizens.”

He said the policy of reconciliation and amnesty is “not applicable” to the Abu Sayyaf, who have holding Martin and Gracia Burnham, a missionary couple from Wichita, Kansas, and Filipino nurse Ediborah Yap for nearly a year on Basilan.

“If they surrender, they will surrender straight to jail,” he said.

Living example

Basilan Rep. Jerry Salapuddin, a former commander of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) who surrendered in 1984, asked the former guerrillas to help protect US military engineers constructing roads on Basilan, one of the country’s poorest provinces.

About 1,000 US soldiers are involved in a counterterrorism exercise with Filipino troops aimed at wiping out the Abu Sayyaf. They include 160 Special Forces soldiers and 340 US military engineers on Basilan.

“You will not regret (surrendering). I am your living example,” said Salapuddin, who was governor of the troubled island province before he became a congressman.

“I appeal to you that now that you are with the government to help the government,” he said.

Usoh Gapur, commander of the group, said he and his followers surrendered two months ago after experiencing hardships and hunger in the jungle. He had been a rebel for about 30 years.

Bensali Lagasan, a spokesman for the group, refused to comment when asked about the Abu Sayyaf.

“All we know is that they are very popular,” he said. “We do not even communicate with them.”

Each of the former rebels received 2,500 pesos ($50) in financial assistance. Their economic cooperatives also received hundreds of thousands of pesos for their livelihood projects.

The group surrendered 68 firearms, nearly all of them World War II-era M-1 Garand rifles. Under a cash-for-guns program, a guerrilla gets 4,000 pesos (about $80) for a Garand and 18,000 pesos (about $360) for an M-16 rifle.

Impostors

MILF officials in Basilan scoffed at the supposed surrender, saying it was again another of the military’s system of accepting bogus separatists in hopes of sowing demoralization within the ranks of genuine fighters.

Ahmad Sapanton, chief of the Basilan Revolutionary Committee, said the “impostors” gave themselves up “with blessings from some local government units in close coordination with military commanders in the area.”

Sapanton’s statement was supported by Commander Lacsao Asnawi of the MILF’s 402nd Brigade, who said not a single genuine MILF fighters was part of the charade.

Asnawi said only the stupid would believe that the surrenderees were genuine fighters. He pointed out that except for just one M-16 (Armalite) rifle, the rest of the guns that were surrendered were M-1 Garand, World War II vintage rifles which are usually issued to local militias.

“In fact, most of the surrendered firearms appears no longer serviceable and even the lone M-16 was also heavily damaged,” said Asnawi.

The MILF officials said the big losers in the “drama” are the taxpayers whose money were used to pay for non-serviceable guns that were paid through the efforts of unscrupulous local officials and the military.

Months ago a group of armed men had also surrendered to the military but they were now identified as remnants of the followers of Salapudin.