Mindanaotoday.com | 50 ex-rebels in Bukidnon avail P13.8 M worth of ECLIP aid
By: Vincent Philip Bautista
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – In line with President Marcos’ administration goal to continue the whole of nation approach in ending local communist armed conflict of the country, the Department of the Interior and Local Government-10 (DILG-10) led by DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr, Philippine National Police-10 (PNP-10), holds the turnover of P13.8 million worth of assistance to 50 former rebels from Bukidnon.
The “Surrender of CTGs and Demilitarization of firearms” ceremony at Camp Alagar, here, August 3, aims not only to end insurgency but also to aid the former rebels and their families reintegrate to the mainstream society through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP) in complementary to the government’s livelihood and skills training assistance.
“Wars cannot be won by arms alone. The most important weapon is the heart, and that is what we are offering this afternoon, the heart of a caring government so we can now focus on the economy para sama-sama na ang pag-unlad ng bansa,” Abalos shared.
In addition to the ECLIP assistance, the 50 former rebels took an oath of allegiance to the government led by the DILG chief while 182 firearms were destroyed to ensure that the surrendered firearms from the 50 former Communist NPA Terrorist (CNT) members are not recycled.
“The former members of CPP-NPA-NDF and Militia ng Bayan are welcome and we will also help their families to have a new life. We will witness the destruction of firearms as these symbolize misunderstanding of Filipinos. These are symbols of cruelty, disunity. We will destroy and melt these so they can go back to being just a simple metal,” PNP Deputy Regional Director for Administration (DRDA) PBGen Ronaldo R Cabral disclosed.
For their part, Bukidnon Provincial Gov. Rogelio Neil Roque, assured the former rebels that the provincial government of Bukidnon is committed to providing them with livelihood opportunities and training in addition to the ECLIP transition to their new lives. (VPSB | PIA-10)
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