COTABATO CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)- Region 12 has released PHP137.6 million in grants to more than a thousand decommissioned combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Maguindanao, an official said on Friday.
Cezario Joel Espejo, DSWD-12 director, said the financial assistance was used for the second phase payout of the Bangsamoro Transitory Family Support Package (BTFSP), with each of the 1,376 MILF decommissioned combatants receiving PHP100,000 each in financial aid.
Espejo said the latest number of combatants provided with government assistance since February 21 was part of the 12,000 combatants to be decommissioned this year.
The succeeding batches of decommissioning would be done between 2021 and 2022.
“This is just one of the promises of our government for the people of Mindanao. It only shows the government will never forsake them,” Espejo said in a statement.
Espejo also lauded their partners from the Office of Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process and the Independent Decommissioning Body created by the national government and MILF to oversee the process of decommissioning of MILF forces and weapons.
The aid packages form part of the socio-economic program component provided for under Executive Order (EO) No. 79 signed in March 2019 which focuses on the normalization track of comprehensive agreement on Bangsamoro under the final peace agreement signed between the government and MILF.
EO 79 aims to reintegrate decommissioned MILF combatants into mainstream society through the provision of livelihood and other appropriate programs and services.
Norhata Benito, normalization program head, said each of the decommissioned fighters received PHP80,000 under BTFS and PHP20,000 cash for the livelihood settlement grants (LSG).
The BTFSP is composed of food subsidy and family, hygiene, kitchen, sleeping, and shelter kits.
The LSG, on the other hand, maybe used as seed capital to start micro-enterprises or to purchase starter kits for the re-establishment of damaged livelihood.
In September last year, President Rodrigo Duterte and his Cabinet secretaries--including DSWD Secretary Rolando Bautista-- witnessed the first phase of decommissioning of 1,190 former MILF combatants in Simuay, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1095183
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