Kalinaw News: 25 former CNT combatants from Agusan del Norte undergo livelihood skills training

From Kalinaw News (Aug 26, 2020): 25 former CNT combatants from Agusan del Norte undergo livelihood skills training

BUENAVISTA, Agusan del Norte – Twenty-five former combatants of the Communist New People’s Army Terrorist (CNT) are now undergoing a 20-day technical-vocational and livelihood skills training that started on Monday, August 24 at the headquarters of 23rd Infantry Battalion in Barangay Alubihid, Buenavista, Agusan del Norte.

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority in Agusan del Norte (TESDA-ADN) spearheads the training with the support of the 23rd IB and the Agusan del Norte Provincial Social Welfare and Development in the province (PSWDO). The twenty-day ( 20) day training that will end on September 18 includes Electrical Installation and Maintenance, Organic Vegetables and Concoctions Production and Computer Literacy training for the former rebels and their dependents.

The activity is part of the total benefits of the Former Rebels (FRs) under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP) of the government that will prepare them for their reintegration into the mainstream society. The training will also ensure that the FRs become productive members of their communities through the new skills and additional knowledge they will acquire. It will also help them start their new lives as they go back to their families.

TESDA-ADN Provincial Director Rey M. Cueva expressed gladness over the willingness of the FRs to undergo the technical-vocational skills training.

“I am thankful that the FRs have decided to go back to the folds of the government. Our province in Agusan del Norte is currently facing four great problems which are the poverty incident, socioeconomic condition, unemployment, and the Peace and Order problem. We believe that one of the solutions of those problems is by providing you with skills training through different programs offered by TESDA. We strongly believe that by letting you learn new skills, you can use it in applying for a job and gain your own salary to buy your basic needs, support your children’s education and your family’s medical needs. We hope that you will focus and be attentive in this training because this will help you find a good job for a brighter future.”

During the opening of the training, Jerry Laureto, the Provincial Administrator of Agusan del Norte emphasized the seriousness of the government in helping the FRs renew their lives.

“Our government is serious in helping you to become a productive citizen in your community. I hope that this training and the other upcoming trainings will help you become financially capable and be a productive thinker to improve not only the status of your families but also your communities and our government as a whole. Our government is serious in its quest in ending insurgency. It focuses on providing you with different opportunities, so take advantage of that situation. May this training transform you to be a better individual to set as a good example for the remaining members of the armed group so that they will also heed to the call of the government,” Laureto said.

The PSWDO, through Provincial Director Silver Joy Tejano, also encouraged the FRs to finish the training as it will help them grow as they go back to their communities.

“The ECLIP is a government program that includes giving of financial support and pours developmental programs for sustainable livelihood you can use when you go back to the mainstream society. The Provincial Local Government of Agusan del Norte finds ways to develop you in order for you to be confident in yourselves when you return to your respective communities. TESDA will provide you with skills training and scholarships with certificate of completion that you can use when applying for a decent job,” Tejano said.

For his part, 23rd IB Acting Commander Lt. Col. Julius Cesar C Paulo expressed gratitude to the different government agencies who provided the needs of the FRs, especially in the advancement of their skills and knowledge on technical and vocational education.

“We are thankful for the TESDA and other line government agencies for their never-ending support to the FRs and for always giving encouragement for them to strive harder for a progressive living. These skills trainings will help our FRs acquire the necessary competencies which will be their weapon anywhere they go that can also help elevate your lives,” Paulo said.

He added that among the tasks of the government in accepting the former members of the CNT is their transformation from being combatants to productive members of the communities where they will reintegrate.

“Years of enduring the hardships in the mountains and witnessing the terroristic activities of the CNTs greatly affected the perspectives of our FRs. The false ideologies inculcated to them also changed their viewpoints on our government and society as a whole. This training will help them overcome the incorrect points of view the CNT leaders indoctrinated and dinned into their minds,” Paulo said.

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