ZAMBOANGA CITY, 23 July 2004 — Dozens of communist insurgents surrendered yesterday to the military in the southern province of Agusan del Sur after a series of negotiations, the military’s Southern Command headquarters said. Sixty-four members of the New People’s Army (NPA) also handed over more than 50 assorted weapons, mostly automatic rifles, to the army’s 402nd Infantry Brigade in Prosperidad town, according to a military report. Most of the rebels belonged to the Manobo, Higaanon and Banwaon tribes in the province, said the report. “The rebels have surrendered after a long negotiations by the military,” it added. The military said those who surrendered would be given livelihood aid under the government’s Balik-Baril (Money-for-Weapons) Program. The program, which started in the 1990s, aims to lure rebels to returnto the folds of the law and began a new life. The government pays between P5,000 to P35,000 for each weapon a rebel surrender, aside from livelihood assistance and technical training. Tens of thousands had surrendered to the government since the Balik-Baril program begun. But many of those who previously surrendered to the military had gone back to the mountains after receiving the money and returned to their old ways.
