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Manila Bulletin devider devider Lay down your arms, Año appeals to NPAs

Lay down your arms, Año appeals to NPAs

Published Apr 11, 2018 12:05 am
By Chito A. Chavez With the revival of the peace talks, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) officer-in-charge Eduardo Año appealed to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-National Democratic Front (NDF)-New People’s Army (NPA) to lay down their arms as he reiterated the government’s readiness to provide the necessary assistance to former rebels. More than 2,000 former rebels have been assisted through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program of the DILG. “The E-CLIP of the DILG is an investment for peace. It is the government’s way of opening its arms to former rebels and assisting them to return to normal, productive, and law-abiding way of life,” said Año. Just recently, President Duterte approved the release of almost half a billion pesos to support the E-CLIP which is enough to support the more than 1,000 rebels expected to surrender this year. “We call on the families, relatives and friends of rebels to help us convince them to go down from the mountains and take this life-changing opportunity,” he added. For the past three years, the DILG has provided financial assistance to hundreds of former communist rebels who have returned to mainstream society. A total of P59.68million has been utilized for immediate assistance to 471 former rebels, while 459 got livelihood assistance, 361 with reintegration assistance, and 132 were given firearm renumeration. As of December 31, 2017, there are 2,082 former communist rebels included in the E-CLIP with 1,357 in Mindanao, 448 in Luzon and 277 in Visayas. “I share the sentiment of the President that I hope this time the Communists will not waste this opportunity. Let this be the peace talks that will lead to a peaceful, progressive Philippines. No more death of peace talks, no more people dying,” he pointed out. The DILG chief also assured full cooperation in the Task Force Balik-Loob created by the President through Administrative Order No. 10 which integrates government’s rebel-returnee assistance programs namely the DILG’s E-CLIP and Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (OPAPP)’s Payapa at MasaganangPamayanan (Pamana) program. “The creation of the Task Force Balik-Loob signifies the administration’s genuine sincerity, readiness, and resolve to end this decades-old conflict. We make change happen and it is now,” he noted. The E-CLIP facilitates the mainstreaming of former NPA rebels and Militia ng Bayan as productive citizens.It also compensates and remunerates all turned-in firearms. A former rebel gets an immediate assistance of P15,000 for mobilization expenses and livelihood assistance of P50,000 while being provided by the government with skills training, shelter and legal assistance, among others.
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