Duterte vows to protect former RPA member at decommissioning rites

From the Visayan Daily Star (Sep 20, 2019): Duterte vows to protect former RPA member at decommissioning rites

After almost 19 years of waiting, the peace agreement between the Rebolusyonaryong Partidong Mangagawa-Pilipinas-Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (Tabara Paduano Group) finally came to a closure yesterday, with the decommissioning of its 727 members and the demilitarization of their surrendered 337 firearms.

President Rodrigo Duterte led the decommissioning of the RPM-RP-ABB-TPG members, now known as Kapatiran para sa Progresong Panlipunan (KAPATIRAN), at Camp Macario Peralta in Jamindan, Capiz last night, that was attended by its chairperson, Veronica Tabara, Abang Lingkod Rep. Stephen Paduano, former national commander of the RPA-ABB, Presidential Adviser on Peace Process Carlito Galvez, and Senator Bong Go, among others.

Duterte who was assisted by Lt. Gen. Noel Clement, AFP Central Command chief, Undersecretary Cesar Yano, and Lt. Gen. Noel Clement, AFP Central Command chief, also led the awarding of the Continuous Support and Agency Commitments to KAPATIRAN members.

These included P25,000 in cash for each member, Community-Based Forest Management Agreement and Forest Guard contracts, entitlement of livelihood projects, native chicken, hogs, rice, corn vegetable seeds, housing units, PhilHealth ID cards, P5 million coco oil mill project and certificates of completion for well water drilling training.

In his speech, Duterte vowed to honor the government commitments to KAPATIRAN members, who he said, now are already partof the government.

“We are now duty bound to protect you”, he stressed to the KAPATIRAN members, who had been subject to liquidation by the mainstream New People’s Army, after they broke ties with the CPP-NPA in the late 1990s.

Duterte said he will even provide them with new guns, following the surrender of their firearms for demilitarization.

The 310 former RPA-ABB combatants, who were also brought to the military camp, came from eight Peace and Development Community sites in Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Iloilo and Aklan.

As part of the decommissioning process of former RPA-ABB combatants, more than 300 of them from eight Peace and Development Community sites in Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Iloilo and Capiz, are up for two months of training that conforms to military standards, in preparation for their integration into the Armed Forces of the Philippine as Special Civilian Active Auxiliary (SCAA).

After their training, they will be deployed to eight PDC sites where they are residing with their families, Capt. Cenon Pancito, spokesman of the 3rd Infantry Division, said.

Maj. Gen. Dinoh Dolina, 3ID commander, said in a statement that the peace negotiation with the government and KAPATIRAN is a classic example of successful localized peace talks and a breakthrough in the government’s peace campaign that manifests its sincerity to help those who took the wrong path, but chose to go back to the fold of the law.

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2019/September/20/topstory1.htm