43 former rebels renew livelihood assistance contract with Mt. Province PLGU

From the Philippine Information Agency (Feb 5): 43 former rebels  renew livelihood assistance contract with Mt. Province PLGU

Forty three  former rebels in the province will continue availing of the rebel returnee livelihood program following the renewal of their contracts with the provincial government.

The rebel returnees (RR) last January 29 signed a memorandum of agreement with the provincial government extending the rebel returnee assistance program  from February to December 2014.

The provincial RR livelihood program, now on its fourth year of implementation, provides each qualified RR a P5,000 allowance per month in exchange  of  community service he renders in his barangay. The RRs are required to works from Mondays to Fridays except holidays.

Listed community services include cleaning of pathways and roads, irrigation maintenance, tree planting, assisting  in the day care centers and health stations, help  in repairing  school buildings and do other tasks assigned to them by their barangay leaders.

Barangay chairmen are tasked to supervise and sign the daily time records of the RRs in their respective barangays.

Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer Rosalinda Belagan said the 2013 year-end assessment on the program showed that most of the RRs have proven their worth in their communities as they are performing their assigned works religiously.

Belagan noted that  some  host barangays are becoming dependent on the assistance and services of these transformed rebels.

This year, Belagan said the provincial government will be very strict in observing what is in MOA adding that RRs found escaping or neglecting their assigned task will have their monthly financial assistance deducted or cut off.

The social welfare officer said the gravest violation to the MOA the RR could commit which means automatic removal from the program is having continuous contact with his former comrades in the underground movement.

Governor Leonard Mayaen thought of coming up with a special program for the RRs to partly address the concerns of former communist rebels who returned to the folds of the law.

Mayaen explained that the RRs somewhat lost a part of their social standing and that they should be given a chance to prove their worth in the community. He said special privileges must be afforded to this group for them to start a normal life. (JDP/ABD-  CARPIA – Mountain Province.

http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=131391512386