Skip to main content

Former rebels get P910K aid under ECLIP in Negros Oriental

 

Turnover ceremony of ECLIP packages and other assistance to former rebels led by Negros Oriental Gov. Manuel "Chaco" Sagarbarria (center, standing) together with Department of the Interior and Local Government Provincial Director Farah Gentuya (7th from left, standing) on March 20, 2024 at the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office in Sibulan town. (PIA Negros Oriental/Photo from Philippine Army)


SIBULAN, Negros Oriental (PIA) -- Fourteen former rebels of the New People’s Army (NPA) have received financial aid from the government after they returned to the folds of the law.

Together with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Gov. Manuel “Chaco” Sagarbarria distributed checks and assistance packages amounting to P910,000 to help the former rebels rebuild their lives.

During the distribution held in Sibulan town, 13 former NPA rebels and one Militia ng Bayan (MB) member each received  P50,000 worth of livelihood assistance and  P15,000 as immediate assistance under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP) funded by DILG.

The provincial government also offered P5,000 and 50 kilograms of rice, including  five native chickens, vegetable seedlings, and food packs from the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The assistance aims to bolster the peace-building efforts of local government units under the campaign to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC).

“I hope that the cash assistance you received will benefit you and your family in living a new life. Also, you will serve as a living testament of the government’s sincerity to help those former NPA members who lay down their arms and return to the folds of the law,” Sagarbarria told the ex-rebels.

Ka Micmic, who used to be an NPA organizer and medical officer, said the government assistance allowed them to break free from the propaganda of the rebel movement.

“Nagapasalamat gyud ako ug dako sa mga opisyales sa gobyerno, sa AFP, sa PNP, ug sa uban pa nga naa sa gobyerno nga naga tabang sa amoa. Kung dili tungod sa gobyerno hangtud karun didto dyapun kami nagapabilin sa kabukiran. Naka usab kame sa amon nga kaugalingon nga dili na gid kame magpadala sa ila nga mga propaganda,” said Ka Micmic.

(I am very thankful to the government officials, AFP, and PNP for helping us. If not for their help, we would still be living in the remote areas in the mountain. We will never allow ourselves to be fooled by their propaganda again.)

ECLIP is the government’s program for rebel returnees to help reintegrate them into the community and provide them and their families with a complete package of assistance.

The financial package covers immediate assistance, provision of a reintegration process, a starting capital for livelihood, as well as remunerating surrendered firearms. (JCT/PIA7 Negros Oriental)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

DepEd7 installs new schools superintendent in Dgte

  (l-r) Department of Education Region 7 Director Salustiano Jimenez, Dr. Juditha Mapue, Dr. Casiana Caberte, Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo, and Assistant Regional Director Atty.. Fiel Almendra during the installation rites of the new schools division superintendent in Dumaguete City. (Contributed photo) DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental, April 17 (PIA) -- Department of Education (DepEd) Region 7 Director Salustiano Jimenez led the installation of Dr. Caisana Caberte as the new schools division superintendent of Dumaguete City. Caberte, who was previously assigned at the Bohol Division, will replace Dr. Gregorio Cyrus Elejorde who is now promoted as Assistant Regional Director of Region 9 based in Pagadian City.   Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo welcomed and congratulated Caberte during her official inauguration in a simple rite in the city.      Caberte was a curriculum specialist and a textbook evaluator at the Bohol Division and has been a recipient ...

PRESS RELEASE: Smart’s ‘School-in-a-Bag’ reaches last-mile schools in NegOr

  DepEd Secretary hails education as 'solution' More remote schools have been reached by Smart Communications, Inc.’s mini portable classroom School-in-a-Bag, bringing learning technologies to far-flung areas to help facilitate quality basic education in last-mile schools. Among these schools is Dobdob Elementary School (ES) which is situated in the farthest barangay in Valencia, Negros Oriental. It is 80 kilometers from the town proper and is only accessible by 4-wheel drive vehicles. Dobdob ES has a total of 128 students, most of whom are children of farmers. These students often arrive with their shirts drenched in sweat, because they help their parents on the farm before coming to school. But despite that, they still come to class with great vigor and enthusiasm. Leah Apenas, head teacher of Dobdob ES, shared the different struggles she and her colleagues, most especially the students face in the mountain school. “Every time there’s a heavy downpour, students skip classes d...

OCD-7: ‘Only OCD can hold incident command system trainings’

  OCD-7 Regional Director Joel Erestain speaking during the 13th episode of the ‘Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas’ program held in Cebu City. He emphasized that only OCD is accredited to conduct trainings on Incident Command System. (PIA-7)  CEBU CITY, CEBU (PIA) — Only the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) can conduct training on the Incident Command System (ICS). This was emphasized by OCD-7 regional director Joel Erestain during the 13th episode of the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas on Aug. 20 in Cebu City.  As the executive arm of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), OCD conducts ICS trainings, which is a standardized approach to managing emergency responses and disasters. “So kung mayro’ng mga iba na nagsasabi na nagte-train daw, hindi po sila accredited. Lalong lalo na nagkaroon tayo ng Civil Defense Training Institute, walang ibang pwedeng mag-train ng ICS, basic ICS, hanggang sa down the line,” said Erestain.  (So if there are people ...