BACOLOD CITY – Three New People’s Army (NPA) surrendered to the police in Barangay E. Lopez, Silay City, Negros Occidental.

They turned over a .38 caliber revolver, a .22 caliber revolver, two improvised 12-gauge shotgun with three shells, and two 40mm explosives.

The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office said they were convinced to surrender through the Project Pag-Ulikid: Compassion with Action and Armas Baylo Bugas initiative of the 1st Negros Occidental Provincial Mobile Force Company (Nocpmfc).

They each received cash assistance, grocery items, and sack of rice and were released to their families following proper documentation.

Meanwhile, the provincial government recently turned over P2.3 million in financial and livelihood assistance to peace volunteers and former rebel associations in Negros Occidental.

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson distributed  P342,000 in financial aid to 17 Sambayanan Negros volunteers from various towns and cities through the Provincial Planning and Development Office.

Ten National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict associations in the province also received livelihood projects worth P2 million through the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO).

Among these projects is the Itik Pinas Raising for Balut and Salted Egg project that aims to address the gap in the supply of "balut" (fertilized duck eggs) in the province and support the province's food sufficiency initiatives.

Recipients include 1,000 breeder ducks, 10 incubators with a 250-egg capacity, and 127 bags of duck feed (50-kilos per bag).

Lacson said that the demand for balut in the province is one million per month, but with the bird flu scare, which disallowed the importation from Luzon, supply went down to 200,000 to 300,000 a month.

“We are hoping that by initially supplying incubators, we can fill in the gap of 700,000 to 750,000 balut per month,” he added.