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ISULAN, Sultan Kudarat -- Two more communist rebels have surrendered to military authorities, raising the number of surrenderees to 62 in Sultan Kudarat, the Army said Tuesday.

Lt. Colonel Harold Cabunoc, Army’s 33rd Infantry Battalion commanding officer, said exhaustion and extreme hunger forced the two New Peoples’ Army (NPA) siblings to lay down arms and rejoin the mainstream society.

Jonathan Kasa, 21, and his brother Jerry, 19, joined their father Zip, in fighting government forces as NPA rebels since May 2015.

The Kasas belong to the Dulangan Manobo tribe in the hinterland village of Kabulanan here. They were members of Platoon Cloud Phone of NPA Guerilla Front 73 operating in Sultan Kudarat province, particularly in the hinterlands of Sen. Ninoy Aquino and Bagumbayan towns.

Cabunoc said the Kasas joined the rebel movement as they were fighting for their rights over a vast expanse of forested area that they claimed as their ancestral land.

"The communist movement promised to return our traditional hunting grounds. We were excited to fight for our land when they handed over high powered weapons to us," Jonathan told Army officials during the surrender rites Monday.

After two years of evading the government forces, the siblings realized their struggle was going nowhere.

"I found out that we have become wanted persons. The NPA recruiters had also failed to deliver their promises to our community," Jerry said in vernacular.

Learning about the government's offer of livelihood opportunities and other social benefits, they decided to escape with their issued M-16 rifles.

Cabunoc presented the brother-surrenderees to Bagumbayan Mayor Jonalette De Pedro who vowed to assist the “lumad” communities in resolving their problems.

"I have always supported the indigenous people by delivering social services to their communities," De Pedro said.

Since May this year, a total of 62 communist rebels belonging to IP communities have surrendered. Some of them have been given livelihood projects under the Comprehensive Local Integration Program of Sultan Kudarat. (PNA)



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