The New People’s Army handed over the guards Saturday to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross in a remote village in southern Cotabato province.

The rebels seized the guards on July 21 during a guerrilla operation to rescue a rebel leader who was being transported to a prison.

The rebels are still holding a town mayor and his two bodyguards who were abducted in August.

The release of the guards is seen as a confidence-building measure for the Norwegian-brokered peace talks, which have been stalled since June.