Maguindanao Sur, March 22 -- Five members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) have voluntarily surrendered to military and local authorities here.

"Four surrenderers belonged to the BIFF-Kagui Karialan faction while the fifth surrenderer is under the BIFF-Bungos faction with both groups operating in Maguindanao del Sur," Brig. Gen. Oriel Pangcog, the Army's 601st Infantry Brigade commander, said in a report to the Army's 6th Infantry Division on Friday.

Pangcog said the former extremists conveyed their intention to rejoin mainstream society through Lt. Col. Udjie Villan, commander of the Army's 33rd Infantry Battalion (IB). Villan presented the surrenderers at the 33IB headquarters in Barangay Sapakan, Rajah Buayan, Magu...