Ex rebels in NegOr receive livelihood assistance

By Jennifer C. Tilos

Wednesday 11th of July 2012

DUMAGUETE CITY, July 11 (PIA) -- Five former more rebels are set to receive P50,000 each for livelihood assistance grants this July.

Capt. Aniceto Naz, Information Officer of the 302nd Brigade of the Philippine Army said, 12 rebel returnees are already provided with more than half million pesos of livelihood assistance within this first semester.

Under the Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP), Negros Oriental has provided P200,000 to the ad hoc committee for rebel returnees.

The fund is used as immediate assistance and administrative requirements for the processing of the livelihood grants for the former rebels.

In a committee meeting convened by the Provincial Social Welfare, the group agreed to monitor the socio economic status of the former rebels who were granted with livelihood assistance.

In her CLIP updates, Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) representative Ecel Bantilo said although there is no executive order yet for the CLIP, it is already implemented in several provinces in the country.

The committee, Naz said has set an action plan to hold a monitoring conference and socio economic training seminar for rebel returnees to be held at the headquarters of 79th IB in Barangay 4, Siaton, Negros Oriental.

Part of the plan is the skills training seminar conducted to 15 former rebels, wherein SPO1 Edilberto Euraoba of Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office provided lecture on values formation.

Also included in the lectures are sustainable agriculture and new farming technology delivered by Jacinto Silot of Provincial Agriculture Office and livestock raising by Solomon Cadiz of Provincial Veterinary Office.

The objective of the program was to ensure the successful integration of the FRs to the community and improvement of their socio economic status.

Naz said, convergence of the Local Government Agencies to attain lasting peace and progress needs an integrated and comprehensive approach which is vital in creating a social pressure to convince the remaining rebels to abandon the armed struggle. (MBCN/JCT/PIA-Negros Oriental)