The Police Regional Office (PRO) 12 has released some
Php160,000 in cash grants to 16 former New People’s Army (NPA) members who
surrendered late last month in Sultan Kudarat province.
Supt. Romeo Galgo, PRO-12 public information officer, said
Tuesday they handed out Php10,000 each to the returnees as part of an
assistance package for their surrender and for yielding firearms in the
process.
He said they released the grants during the regular
flag-raising ceremony on Monday at the regional police headquarters here.
“The financial assistance is part of the thrusts of PRO-12
to address the immediate needs of our returnees,” he said.
The official said the move is also in line with their mandate
as well as mission and vision as deliverers of peace and order.
Galgo said the 16 returnees separately yielded to PRO-12
personnel last Oct. 27 and 28 in Columbio town in Sultan Kudarat.
He said the former rebels were previously under a field unit
of the NPA’s Front 72, which is operating in the hinterlands of Sultan Kudarat
and South Cotabato provinces.
Chief Supt. Manolito Labador, acting Region 12 police
director, said they pushed for the release of the cash assistance to help the
former rebels cope with various burdens as they try to lead normal lives with
their families.
“These assistance would give the returnees a chance to
breathe in a better atmosphere, thereby making them feel totally free,” he said
in a statement.
He reiterated that PRO-12 remains committed to the advocacy
of freedom and respect for human rights, especially in the campaign against
insurgency.
“We’re not treating our returnees as enemies of the
government but as victims of wrong ideologies,” Labador stressed.
The 16 returnees are currently undergoing evaluation for
their inclusion in the government’s Comprehensive Local Integration Program
(CLIP).
CLIP reintegrates former rebels into the social mainstream
and uplifts their socio-economic conditions to enable them to become active
partners in the local development.
The program also seeks to contribute towards the achievement
of the goal of permanent peaceful closure of all armed conflicts with non-state
armed groups.
Under the program, rebel returnees could avail of livelihood
assistance ranging from P5,000 to Php50,000.
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