Samar town housing project to benefit 38 ex-rebels

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 24, 2023): Samar town housing project to benefit 38 ex-rebels (By Roel Amazona)

REBUILDING LIVES. Local government officials join the groundbreaking of a housing site for former rebels in San Jose de Buan town, Samar province in this Aug. 18, 2023 photo. The project aims to help recipients rebuild their lives shattered by years of armed struggle. (Photo courtesy of Samar Public Information Office)

TACLOBAN CITY – The government has started the housing project for former New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in the interior San Jose De Buan town in Samar province to help them rebuild their lives shattered by years of armed struggle.

Dubbed “Saad nga Balay ha mga Peacebuilders han San Jose de Buan” (promised houses for former rebels), the semi-concrete housing project will benefit 38 former NPA rebels, said Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) Samar Area Manager Emilda Bonifacio on Wednesday.

The project, funded by the national and local governments, is now ongoing after its groundbreaking on Aug. 18.

“Prior to the start of the project, recipients were trained by TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) on carpentry, masonry, electrical wiring, and plumbing so that they could assist in the construction of their house,” Bonifacio said in a phone interview.

Of the 38 identified beneficiaries, 17 have been prioritized and are expected to receive their respective housing units before the end of the year.

Priorities are homeless former rebels, those with wives and children, and residents of San Jose de Buan town.

A total of PHP4 million has been set aside for the construction of a permanent shelter for the former rebels, PHP2.5 million from the provincial government through Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan, and PHP1.5 million from the municipal government through Mayor Joaquin Elizalde.

The project located near the town center will provide free housing within a 100-square-meter lot to be awarded to each identified former rebel, who opted not to return to their respective communities.

Aside from permanent houses, the local government will also provide a training center and a farm lot for agriculture-related livelihood activities.
In the future, it will also accommodate former rebels from nearby towns in the province.

The house is designed with amakan (woven split-bamboo mats) with two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room.

Army engineers developed the housing site and designed the houses.
It takes two weeks to complete a single housing unit. The project for 17 former rebels will be completed by December, according to Bonifacio.

The project aims to provide a safe, secure, and decent home for the former rebels with livelihood opportunities, and to facilitate their integration into mainstream society.

It is also expected to encourage members and supporters of the communist group to surrender and avail themselves of the benefits being offered by the government so that they can experience living in peace and without fear.

Since 2020, several active NPA members and staunch allies in the town have yielded to authorities and turned over several firearms.

The fourth-class town with a population of nearly 8,000 is one of the NPA’s strongholds in Samar Island, considering its strategic location within the tri-boundaries of Northern, Eastern, and Samar provinces.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1208384