Thursday, October 25, 2018

Authorities promote assistance to ex-NPAs

From the Business Mirror (Oct 26): Authorities promote assistance to ex-NPAs



In Photo: Alleged guerrillas of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) stand at an undisclosed location in this undated photo. Authorities said former NPA rebels received government assistance after surrendering.
Authorities announced here on Friday that some 3,009 former New People’s Army (NPA) rebels received various forms of assistance from several agencies through government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program, or E-Clip.
 
In a presentation at a forum for local chief executives, Philippine Army Maj. Aristotle Antonio said the E-Clip provides a convergence of government assistance to the former rebels, such as in security and safety, housing, skills and education, social and community, health, legal, livelihood and employment.

Quoting data from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), which administers the program, Antonio said a total of 655 former rebels have been provided with financial assistance, with Regions 11, 13 and 12 having the most number of rebels as recipients with 180, 150 and 144 rebel-recipients; followed by Region 10 with 64; and Region 5 with 57. The Calabarzon region has 11 recipients, while Mimaropa and the National Capital Region have three rebel recipients each.

Antonio added that the National Housing Authority (NHA) has released Certificate of Entitlement to 685 former rebels in Region 9 while 958 have undergone Technical Education and Skills Development Authority skills training nationwide. He said about 241 former NPA members have been given business starter kits in Davao Oriental through the Department of Labor and Employment Integrated Livelihood program.

Antonio said the Department of Social Welfare and Development has provided transportation assistance to 33 former rebels, family food packs for 385 and psychosocial processing (stress debriefing) for five former NPA guerillas.


Antonio told participants that each former NPA rebel received P1 million worth of assistance from the government.
 
“So the 241 rebels who surrendered to the government in Davao means P241 million has been allocated for them,” he noted.

Antonio said a halfway house has been built and successfully operated in Davao Oriental for former rebels because of the support of the community. He added that the rebels who surrendered get staggered assistance from the government.

Antonio said the government has made available this year about 100 housing units for the former NPA guerillas. Each unit is worth P450,000. He added that the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (Opapp) has P8 billion funds for various community projects.

Under the program, the Department of National Defense administers E-Clip, while the DILG oversees the financial assistance. The Opapp is in charge of the implementation of Pamana projects in communities, while the NHA is responsible for the provision of housing.

Under the old CLIP of the government, former rebels received access to reintegration assistance of P21,000, immediate assistance of P15,000 and livelihood assistance of P50,000. Under the E-Clip, former rebels are beneficiaries of government services, medical and legal assistance, housing, modified cash transfer, and loans and market access, among others.


E-Clip was formulated after President Duterte issued on September 2017 a directive to craft a concrete program for former NPA rebels. It was in July when the awarding of benefits under E-Clip followed.

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