Camp Capinpin, Tanay, Rizal —About 79 former rebels received P1.185 million worth of grants from the government during the awarding ceremony of the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program or E-CLIP at the Municipal Plaza of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro on Tuesday.
Army Brig. Gen. Antonio R Lastimado, commander of 203rd Brigade which has operational jurisdiction in the area, said the proactive stance of Occidental Mindoro’s Task Force ELCAC (Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict) “is a testament of the government’s sincerity in its call for NPA (New People’s Army) terrorists to return to mainstream society and help them live normal lives with their families.”
Lastimado said each former rebel received P15,000 cash assistance provided by the national government to NPA militias who decided to return to the fold of the law.
Under the program, each former rebel may also qualify for additional compensations in the form of educational, health services, employment and housing benefits among others.
Maj. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo B Burgos Jr, commander of the Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry Division which covers Southern Tagalog, expressed confidence that through the government’s concerted effort, “we will be able to address the prevailing social issues thereby uprooting the causes of insurgency in the countryside”.
Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi, Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security or CORDS, led the distribution of E-CLIP entitlements after Occidental Mindoro Gov. Eduardo Gadiano administered the Oath of Allegiance to the former rebels. This was followed by the ceremonial burning of an NPA flag signifying freedom from the clutches of terrorism.
Burgos added that the headways which the people are gaining “in our fight against insurgency is an indicator that the much-coveted just and lasting peace is within reach.”
Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay, Commander of the AFP’s Southern Luzon Command, congratulated the people of Mindoro for taking a courageous stand in support to President Duterte’s Executive Order Number 70 in ending local communist armed conflict that is hampering our potentials as a nation.
Gapay called on the few remaining NPA terrorists to surrender “and be part of the solution to help our country regain its glory so that our people may finally enjoy prosperity and development, which every Filipino citizen truly deserves.”
Also presented to the members of RTF-ELCAC 4B were 24 firearms that were either surrendered by the FRs or recovered by troops in Mindoro.
Per military records, 341 former rebels have already turned over 88 firearms to government forces deployed across Southern Tagalog.
Since E-CLIP was implemented in CALABARZON and MIMARO provinces, a total of P3.960 million worth of financial assistance have already been awarded to former rebels.