(UPDATE) 37 leftist rebels yield to gov't in Agusan

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Xinhua) - Over 30 alleged members of the leftist rebel group of New People's Army (NPA) have surrendered to government troops in southern Philippines on Friday, the military said.

At least 37 members of the NPA's Armed Propaganda Unit, People' s Militia and the tribal Solid Mass Organization (MASSO) turned themselves in to the Philippine Army's 26th Infantry Battalion in Talacogon, a town in Mindanao's Agusan del Sur province around 8 a. m., Captain Christian Uy, the spokesperson for the army's 4th Infantry Division, said in a statement to Xinhua.

Uy said the surrenderors included an NPA squad leader who also handed over an Ingram sub-machine pistol. The other former rebels also surrendered 36 various firearms and improvised explosives.

"The reason of their surrender is a realization that their cooperation with the NPAs brought them no benefits but only made them suffer," said Uy. "The NPAs exploited them by using them as work force in constructing their bases, manning their communal farms and in manufacturing and laying of IEDs (Improvised Explosive Device)," he added.

He said in the last six months, the army's 4th ID has facilitated and received the surrender of 144 rebel fighters and an equal number of weapons.