Halfway house for ex-rebels officially opens in AgNor

From the Philippine Information Agency (Oct 5, 2020): Halfway house for ex-rebels officially opens in AgNor (By Jennifer P. Gaitano) 

BUTUAN CITY, Oct. 5 (PIA) -- A halfway house for former rebels officially opened here in Agusan del Norte.

Located inside the 402nd Brigade’s headquarters in Butuan City, the fully-operational facility has 16 rooms and could accommodate up to 50 persons.

While inside the facility, former rebels will undergo debriefing and treatment. They will also be provided with skills and livelihood training before they can be reintegrated back into their respective communities.

Silver Joy Tejano, chief of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development (PSDW)-Agusan del Norte highlighted that surrenderees are given due attention and are well-taken cared of by the different government agencies to ensure that they get the appropriate programs and services for them.

“A former rebel will undergo a psychological debriefing after going through a war. That is why he needs to undergo treatment for him to express his fears and other concerns that bothered him while he was in the mountainous area,” shared Tejano.

The halfway house is one of the many projects that supports the government’s enhanced comprehensive local integration program or E-CLIP program.

This as the government remains committed to addressing insurgency in the country.

Governor Dale Corvera emphasized that the halfway house will bring new opportunities to the former rebels in a community where people are working together towards achieving peace and development for all.

“This is going to be a continuing project. We could only achieve peace if we all give what we have for us to create a community that is supportive to its people,” said Corvera. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)

https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1054963