82 ex-rebels in DavOr get P20-K each in additional aid

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 7, 2021): 82 ex-rebels in DavOr get P20-K each in additional aid (By Che Palicte)

CASH AID. A total of 82 former rebels are shown receiving P20,000 each as additional cash aid from the government at the Davao Oriental Provincial Capitol covered court on Wednesday (July 7, 2021). The amount represents additional assistance under the Livelihood Settlement Grant Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). (Photo courtesy of Davao Oriental PIO)

A total of 82 former rebels in Davao Oriental on Wednesday received PHP20,000 each as additional assistance under the Livelihood Settlement Grant Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

In a statement, the Davao Oriental Provincial Information Office said the returnees, who were former rebels of the communist terrorist group New People’s Army (NPA), are beneficiaries of the government's Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) covering the years 2016-2020.

Governor Nelson Dayanghirang handed over the assistance together with DSWD-11 director Raquel Nuñez in a ceremony held at the Provincial Capitol covered court.

Dayanghirang hoped the assistance would sustain the former rebels' livelihood, as well as further encourage active NPA rebels to return to the fold of the law as the government bids to end the decades-old communist insurgency.

“This additional cash benefit that the provincial government offers to surrenderers and tipsters aims to entice more rebels to yield to the government in the hopes of attaining the province’s target of zero insurgencies by the end of the year,” he said.

Last Monday, seven former rebels also voluntarily surrendered to the authorities and received PHP100,000 each from the provincial government of Davao Oriental.

They were identified as alias Abay, Kabal, Ram, Renz, Champ, Daks, and Remel, who were operating in different fronts in Davao Oriental and parts of the nearby provinces of Davao de Oro and Davao del Norte.

They were accepted by Dayanghirang and other officials through a simple ceremony at the provincial capitol dubbed as “Pag-uli: Acceptance Ceremony of Returning Rebels.”

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1146212