DND exec hopes next set of leaders will sustain E-CLIP

From the Philippine News Agency (May 12, 2022): DND exec hopes next set of leaders will sustain E-CLIP (By Priam Nepomuceno)

PNA file photo

A ranking official of the Department of National Defense (DND) on Thursday expressed hope that the incoming administration, both national and local, will continue to support the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) which helps former rebels (FRs) and former violent extremists (VEs) to peacefully integrate into mainstream society.

“The current success of the E-CLIP is due to the unprecedented support of our local chief executives (LCEs), and as the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte nears its conclusion and a new set of elected officials take the helm of national and local posts, I am hopeful that assistance for our brothers and sisters who returned to the fold of the law will be sustained," said DND Undersecretary Reynaldo Mapagu, who is also Task Force Balik Loob chair.

He said that local chief executives (LCEs) have a huge role to play in helping address the decades-long local armed conflict in the country.

"With their mandate as well as their deeper understanding of their constituents, incoming LCEs have a huge role to play in helping address the local armed conflict that has plagued our country for decades," Mapagu said.

He also called for the support of the incoming president and vice president, as well as the representatives elected in the Senate and Congress.

Mapagu said the whole-of-nation approach of the government led not only to the surrender of thousands of FRs and FVEs, but also to the improvement of the communities where they belong.

"Through E-CLIP, many lives have been transformed for the better, and Task Force Balik-Loob earnestly believes that even more FRs and FVEs will become our partners for peace if the program continues," he added.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1174287