FINANCIAL AID. South Cotabato Governor Reyanaldo Tamayo Jr. (left) hands over a check to one of the recipients of the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program or E-CLIP in a ceremony at the provincial capitol on Tuesday (July 16, 2019). Some 33 former rebels from different parts of South Cotabato province received a total of PHP1.97 million worth of financial assistance under the reintegration program. (PNA photo by Allen V. Estabillo)
Some 33 former New People’s Army (NPA) rebels from the different parts of South Cotabato province received around PHP1.97 million worth of financial assistance from the government’s reintegration program on Tuesday.
Haide Agustin, head of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), said the recipients comprised the latest batch of former rebels, who qualified for the financial grants under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).
The assistance was released during a simple awarding ceremony held at the South Cotabato Sangguniang Panlalawigan session hall in Koronadal City.
Agustin said 21 of the former rebels received PHP15,000 each from the provincial government.
She said the recipients were former NPA cadres, who surrendered from 2008 to 2011 and were not included in the social integration program and E-CLIP, as well as its forerunner, the CLIP, which only started in 2014.
The 12 other recipients, who surrendered from 2017 to 2018, were given PHP50,000 as livelihood assistance, PHP21,000 reintegration assistance and PHP15,000 as immediate assistance from the national government, through the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Agustin said.
She said they also received remuneration for surrendered firearms ranging from PHP30,000 to PHP472,000.
“These were part of the comprehensive assistance packages they are entitled to under the E-CLIP,” she said.
Agustin said they will also receive housing assistance, skills trainings, and other social interventions.
The former rebels, mostly from the Tboli and Blaan tribes, came from Koronadal City and the municipalities of Lake Sebu, Banga, and Tboli.
They were previously under the NPA’s Front 23, which operates in parts of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Sarangani provinces.
South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. assured the returnees that the local government will provide them with other necessary assistance, including free hospitalization and educational assistance for their dependents.
He said they will also monitor them to ensure that their chosen livelihood projects will be sustained and prosper.
“Rest assured we are doing everything to provide the best services to our people and address various problems at the community level.
Lt. Col. Jones Otida, commanding officer of the Army’s 27th Infantry Battalion, said the release of the financial assistance shows that the government is committed to assist the rebel returnees.
He expressed hope that more NPA rebels in the area will also surrender in the coming months.
“There’s no more reason for them (NPAs) to take up arms since the government is already addressing their needs and giving them all the chances,” Otida said.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1075075
Haide Agustin, head of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), said the recipients comprised the latest batch of former rebels, who qualified for the financial grants under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).
The assistance was released during a simple awarding ceremony held at the South Cotabato Sangguniang Panlalawigan session hall in Koronadal City.
Agustin said 21 of the former rebels received PHP15,000 each from the provincial government.
She said the recipients were former NPA cadres, who surrendered from 2008 to 2011 and were not included in the social integration program and E-CLIP, as well as its forerunner, the CLIP, which only started in 2014.
The 12 other recipients, who surrendered from 2017 to 2018, were given PHP50,000 as livelihood assistance, PHP21,000 reintegration assistance and PHP15,000 as immediate assistance from the national government, through the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Agustin said.
She said they also received remuneration for surrendered firearms ranging from PHP30,000 to PHP472,000.
“These were part of the comprehensive assistance packages they are entitled to under the E-CLIP,” she said.
Agustin said they will also receive housing assistance, skills trainings, and other social interventions.
The former rebels, mostly from the Tboli and Blaan tribes, came from Koronadal City and the municipalities of Lake Sebu, Banga, and Tboli.
They were previously under the NPA’s Front 23, which operates in parts of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Sarangani provinces.
South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. assured the returnees that the local government will provide them with other necessary assistance, including free hospitalization and educational assistance for their dependents.
He said they will also monitor them to ensure that their chosen livelihood projects will be sustained and prosper.
“Rest assured we are doing everything to provide the best services to our people and address various problems at the community level.
Lt. Col. Jones Otida, commanding officer of the Army’s 27th Infantry Battalion, said the release of the financial assistance shows that the government is committed to assist the rebel returnees.
He expressed hope that more NPA rebels in the area will also surrender in the coming months.
“There’s no more reason for them (NPAs) to take up arms since the government is already addressing their needs and giving them all the chances,” Otida said.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1075075
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