ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Visayas devider Negros Occidental unveils first halfway house for ex-NPA rebels

Negros Occidental unveils first halfway house for ex-NPA rebels

Published Aug 22, 2026 10:32 am
The provincial government of Negros Occidental has recently unveiled its first half-way house for returning New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Barangay Sta. Rosa, Murcia. (Capitol PIO)
The provincial government of Negros Occidental has recently unveiled its first half-way house for returning New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Barangay Sta. Rosa, Murcia. (Capitol PIO)

BACOLOD CITY – The provincial government of Negros Occidental has opened its first halfway house for former New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Barangay Sta. Rosa, Murcia, as part of efforts to support their reintegration into mainstream society.

The facility, named Balay Pagbag-o, was formally blessed and inaugurated on Wednesday, Aug.t 19, by Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson; Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)-Negros Occidental provincial director and concurrent officer-in-charge assistant Negros Island Region (NIR) director Teodora Sumagaysay; Brig. Gen. Ted Dumosmog of the Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade; Police Col. Dennis Wenceslao, Negros Occidental police director; Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer Chiqui Gonzales; and NIR Federation of Peace Advocates President Egan Dañoso.

The halfway house will provide returning rebels with psychosocial interventions, livelihood training, and other programs for several weeks or months to help them rebuild their lives and prepare for a peaceful and productive future.

Lacson thanked the beneficiaries for choosing to leave the armed struggle behind and assured them that government assistance would continue even after they leave the facility.

“The true measure of success is when you are able to return to your communities, live peacefully, find employment, and support your families,” Lacson said.

He described the facility as more than just a building, saying it represents a second chance and the government’s commitment to helping former rebels return to their communities with dignity, hope, and opportunities.

The governor also expressed appreciation to government agencies, partner organizations, and individuals who helped establish the facility, adding that further improvements are planned to expand its services and create a more supportive environment for beneficiaries.

Major Jecey Batiller, 303rd civil-military operations officer, said the halfway house is located near a Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit Active Auxiliary detachment to help ensure the safety of its residents.

Additional facilities, including a recreational area and livelihood training center, are also planned. Batiller said the halfway house is expected to become fully operational within the quarter or before the end of the year, with capacity for up to 20 returnees.

A similar halfway house has been operating in Tanjay City, Negros Oriental, since 2024.

Related Tags

Negros Occidental NPA
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ static_articles_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.