CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Feb. 11 (PIA) -- A Php10-million halfway house will soon rise in Cagayan de Oro to serve as a temporary shelter for former communist rebels as they prepare to return to the mainstream of society.
City Mayor Oscar Moreno, along with Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security and Communications secretary Martin Andanar, Task Force Balik Loob chairperson Usec. Reynaldo Mapagu, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Usec. Bernardo Florece Jr., Usec. Rufino Lopez and Asec. Lorenzo Clavejo of the National Security Council, EastMinCom Commander LtGen. Jose Faustino Jr., and 4th Infantry Division Commander MGen. Franco Nemesio Gacal led the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kalandang (Peace) Center in Sitio Aura, Brgy. Mambuaya on February 7.
The Kalandang Center will serve as a temporary residence for former rebels while their documents as beneficiaries of the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) are being processed.
The facility will also serve as a training center and a venue for education and other related seminars and orientations for former rebels.
DILG provided Php5-million for phase 1 of the project while the remaining Php5-million is the city government's counterpart.
The 729.73 sq.m. center can house 30 former rebels with facilities such as male and female quarters, training center, mess hall, kitchen, storage area, administration office, and lobby, among others.
Jason Dalumbay, one of the former rebels who will benefit from the halfway house is thankful for the livelihood and other assistance he received under E-CLIP. He called on former comrades who are still fighting up in the mountains to return to the government. "Masulbad ang atong problema kung moduyog kita sa gobyerno (Our problems will be solved if we join the government)," he said.
Efren Radao, a full-time member of the New People's Army who has also chosen the path of peace, shared the same sentiment. "Ang gobyerno ang maghatag sa ato og kaayuhan, dili NPA ang makasulbad sa atong kapobrehon,(The government will provide for our welfare, the NPA cannot solve our poverty)," he said.
He said he left the communist group because he could no longer bear the hardships in the mountains.
He thanked the government for accepting his return. "Pasalamat ko kay Presidente Duterte, Mayor Oca, og sa 65th IB nga gedawat mi magbalik-loob og wala mi diretso patya (I am thankful to President Duterte, Mayor Oca, and the 65th IB for accepting and not killing us)," he added.
After undergoing deradicalization and psychosocial interventions at the halfway house, former rebels will be transferred to the housing project of the National Housing Authority towards their eventual integration to the society. (APB/PIA10)
https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1034431
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