Pizarro, 19, had had enough of FARC's unfilled promises.
Recruited when he was eight, he said, he was promised a good wage and the chance to visit his family occasionally. He received neither.
But Pizarro, who still goes by his rebel alias, did receive a revolutionary education. And he became commander of a 60-strong company. But he became disillusioned.
"I was convinced that the idea was to take power in the name of the people. But I realized that's not what they're doing," he said. "What they are doing is terrorism."
So when he heard of the rehabilitation program on the government-sponsored radio ads, he convinced 12 of his comrades, including two brothers, to join him when he fled two months ago.
Deserters are interviewed and given a polygraph test to weed out any who may try to pass as combatants to take advantage of the room, board and cash offered. So far, 68 people have been rejected.
Eliminating impostors is relatively simple, but detecting rebel and paramilitary infiltrators is much more difficult, and much more crucial.
In the rebel world desertion is punishable by death, and the former combatants' first priority is their own security.
Penate said that in each shelter government soldiers posing as members of the program reported any suspicious activity. So far three people had admitted being sent into the program to kill deserters.
While trying to keeping the former fighters safe, the government also must help them start a new life.
When asked what he wants to do, Luis says his biggest dream is to reunite with his family. As for an occupation, he said, "All I want to be is a civilian."
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