JOLO, Sulu — Former members of the Abu Sayyaf Group who have decided to surrender to the government and embrace the emblem of peace are now helping the authorities and the provincial government in maintaining a peaceful atmosphere in Sulu.

This was the statement of Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan, as he disclosed that police and military authorities in the province have tapped the expertise of the former rebels to help them keep Sulu a peaceful province now.

"I see nothing wrong in it, if these former ASG gunmen have wholeheartedly signified their willingness to help the provincial government, the police and military in the security aspect of the province," said Tan.

"These people are no longer rebels and they are now living with their relatives in the province," he added.

Tan also stressed that the former insurgents are no longer rebels but part of a peaceful community and it is also their shared responsibility to keep their community peaceful.

Member Parliament floor leader Benjamin Loong, on the other hand, lauded Tan for his "unmeasurable patience and strategy" just to find the right formula and dose of medicine for the insurgence.

"He was able to find the best formula of medicines for the ASG to lure them to return to the folds of the law and live a peaceful life with their family members in the province anew," Loong said.

He added that Tan — in tandem with the police and military authorities in the province — have succeeded to lure the former ASG rebels to surrender and live a comfortable life in the community anew.

Loong also said  that former President Rodrigo Duterte  has also shared his vision for peace in Sulu and to recall, the former President established the 11th Division of the Philippine Army in Sulu and armed them with a directive to turn Sulu into a  peaceful province in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Loong has moved around Parang town in Sulu, a former  ASG-infested area and found that only members of the security forces are carrying their firearms.