DAVAO ORIENTAL – Eight former rebels who turned-in their firearms to the government happily received checks worth a total of P1.04 million through the firearms remuneration program.
Governor Nelson Dayanghirang personally handed over the checks to the former rebels in a simple ceremony held earlier today, October 1, at the Provincial Capitol.
One of the many benefits that former rebels receive under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP), the firearms remuneration program is being implemented to encourage members of the New People’s Army to surrender their weapons which otherwise could have been used to terrorize civilians and in fighting government troops.
Under the firearms remuneration program, former rebels receive twice the amount corresponding to their weapons’ assessed cash value, says the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Provincial Director Orle Cabaobao.
While being funded by the DILG, the remuneration of firearms undergoes a process being facilitated by the Joint AFP-PNP Intelligence Committee (JAPIC), a special body which validates whether the surrenderers are authentic members of the NPA or Militia ng Bayan while also verifying the weapons being turned in.
These former rebels, who yielded to the government in 2018 and 2019, have surrendered weapons ranging from low to high-powered firearms such as pistol, revolver, and various types of rifles.
The said weapons are currently deposited at the headquarters of the Davao Oriental Police Provincial Office (DOPPO). DOPPO Provincial Director Police Colonel Marcial Mariano Magistrado IV said that based on the guidelines, the PNP takes charge of the control of the firearms which involves the collection, documentation, valuation, and disposition or demilitarization of the firearms.
Philippine Army 701st Brigade Commander Brigadier General Manuel Sequitin hopes that with the firearms remuneration, more rebels will be enticed to yield to the government and take advantage of the many benefits that await them upon their surrender.
He said that with the intensified efforts of the government through its various peace and development programs, the NPA forces has continuously diminished. “In our statistics, more firearms are being recovered as to its ratio with the NPA rebels,” Brig. Gen. Sequitin said, adding that this indicates that the NPA recruitment for new members is already weakening. He attributed this to civilians refusing to provide support to the NPA while providing vital information to the authorities. “We are now close to achieving the peace that we have long been yearning for,” he added.
One beneficiary named Tata, a former vice commanding officer of an NPA squad, received P348,000 in firearms remuneration for surrendering an M4, M14, and M16 weapons. Having been a veteran in the Communist insurgency, the 20-year-old Tata said he did not expect to receive this huge amount of money which he says will be of great help to his family in his hinterland village. Now processing his application to become a soldier of the Philippine Army, he considers himself as lucky. He urged his former comrades to surrender and give up the “senseless fight.”
Another beneficiary, 46-year-old Pacio, who was an NPA platoon leader for five years, received P200,000 under the government’s firearms remuneration program. Currently undergoing his training to become a member of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU), he expressed his happiness over the government’s program that has helped him turn his life around. He added that he will use the money he received to support his children’s education and to also develop his small farm in his hinterland village.
Aside from the firearms remuneration, the former rebels who received the checks on Tuesday have already received scores of benefits under the E-CLIP which include livelihood assistance for each surrenderrer amounting to P65,000 and another P20,000 from the Department of Labor and Employment.
They have also completed their rehabilitation at the Happy Home – a provincial government-run halfway house for former rebels, wherein they received free education and various livelihood and skills training, among other benefits.
Governor Dayanghirang, in a brief conversation with the former rebels, congratulated and wished them well as they embark on the new chapter of their lives. He reminded them to invest the money wisely in a way that would help them sustain their income and improve their lives.
To ensure that the former rebels sustain their livelihood, the E-CLIP committee has set mechanisms to monitor the beneficiaries to check if their lives have improved.
Furthermore, the Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF-ELCAC) which pushes the implementation of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order 70 eyes on creating more programs for former rebels to ensure their sustainable livelihood. By Karen Lou Deloso/ Photos by Eden Jhan Licayan
