Wednesday, January 29, 2014

35 more RPA-ABB members to be hired as forest rangers

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 29): 35 more RPA-ABB members to be hired as forest rangers
 
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is hiring 35 more members of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB) to serve as forest rangers.

This was disclosed by Undersecretary Maria Cleofe Gettie Sandoval of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process, who said the additional 35 will bring to 130 the number of RPA-ABB members working as contractual hires of the DENR.

The hiring of the RPA-ABB members is part of the initiatives in support to the peace process of the government, Sandoval said.

Majority of more than 700 armed RPA-ABB members are based in Negros Island.

Sandoval met with Maj. Gen. Aurelio Baladad, commander of the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, and other military officials in Talisay City, Negros Occidental recently.

The DENR began hiring RPA-ABB members for its forest protection program last September.

DENR Regional Technical Director said the deployment of RPA-ABB members as forest guards is part of the livelihood support extended to them by the government in preparation for the signing of the closure agreement for the peace negotiations.

RPA-ABB, a breakaway group of the New People’s Army (NPA), was founded by rebel leader Arturo Tabara in 1998 in Negros.

The peace talks between the government and the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Mangagawa-Pilipinas and its armed wing RPA-ABB started in December 2000 under the administration of then President Joseph Estrada.

In April last year, the RPA-ABB Tabara Paduano Group changed its name into “Kapatiran para sa Progresong Panlipunan (Brotherhood for Social Progress)” as part of their compliance with the provisions of the closure agreement.

The group has been an active partner of Task Force Ilahas, an environmental enforcement unit of the provincial government of Negros Occidental.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=610639

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