After six years of fighting for the Communist movement, Buknoy (not his real name) finally laid down his arms. Yielding to the government, he only hopes to leave his past behind and return to the life he knew, but instead, he got “unexpected benefits” in exchange for his surrender.
Buknoy and nine other former rebels recently received from the provincial government a cash aid amounting to P100,000, which aims to provide former rebels or fondly referred to as “Friends Rescued” a means to start over in life.
This cash assistance is only the first among the scores of benefits they will receive from the government.
“After what I did, I did not expect to get any assistance from the government. All I wanted was to clear my name and go back to the life I had. But what I got in return was just overwhelming,” said Buknoy, who was surprised by the cash aid. “P100,000 is a lot of money for me to start anew. I don’t know how I could ever thank the government. Surrendering was indeed the best decision I have ever made,” he said.
Looking back, Buknoy said he realized he wasted many years of his life for nothing.
He admitted he felt guilty and ashamed about his past, especially in giving false promises to their mass supporters. “The same way I was deceived into entering the movement, I was also deceiving people to support our “lost cause.” None of our promises ever came true,” he said.
While still in the movement, Buknoy’s parents, who have been getting aid from the government, tried to reach him to convince him to surrender. “It took a while for me to decide, but seeing my family being taken cared of by the government made me ask myself: Why am I still living the life of an insurgent?, ” says Buknoy.
Buknoy said his doubts about the movement came to the surface in recent years because they no longer had a clear direction as they slowly lost their mass bases. “We have no support and no clear direction. That’s why I finally decided to leave.”
Mass Bases Lost
701st Brigade Commander Colonel Oliver Maquiling said that the New People’s Army losing mass bases had severely hurt the Communist group’s operation.
He divulged that there are only 18 remaining active members of the CPP-NPA-NDF in his area of operation. Most of them are now operating within the borders.
“Many of them (NPA) are experiencing hunger because there are no more mass supporters whom they can rely on,” he said. These former mass supporters, who used to be the lifeblood of the Communist movement, are being formed into legitimate associations eligible for government benefits.
He added that with the attractive benefits being offered by the government to them that includes P100,000 in cash incentives, the province’s target of zero insurgency becomes more attainable by the end of the year.
He lauded the Provincial Government’s initiative of giving these attractive benefits to former rebels, which has dramatically helped in the army’s anti-insurgency campaign.
Davao Oriental is the only province in the entire country offering financial aid as massive as P100,000 to former rebels. Governor Nelson Dayanghirang says this is the province’s means to entice the few remaining Communist rebels to yield. “We cannot fully take off in our development programs if the terroristic activities of the NPA linger. We must end this once and for all without the use of violence,” says the Governor.
For Buknoy and the others, the financial aid they received is more than just a means to rebuild their lives but a symbol of the government’s genuine intention of taking care of its people. Now rescued, Buknoy said he is now a friend of the government.
Aside from the P100,000 cash aid, Buknoy and scores of others are set to receive other cash incentives and other benefits under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP), including trainings and free education.
Buknoy says his surrender has opened many doors he could only wish for years ago.
Today, Buknoy and several others, who yielded to the government within the recent months, are currently housed at the Philippine Army’s 701st Brigade to undergo deradicalization, a program that former rebels undertake to purge their minds of the Communist ideology. It will enable them to become more receptive to healing and open to other government programs to prepare them for normalcy.
Following the ten-day program, they will be endorsed to the provincial government-run halfway house called Happy Home, a facility designed to equip former rebels with the necessary skills and opportunities to start their new lives in mainstream society as “Friends Rescued.” Karen Lou Deloso
