The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has returned to the Bureau of Treasury (BTr) the P658 million budget allocated by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) for the fourth phase of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) decommissioning process.
Undersecretary Alan Tanjusay of the department’s Inclusive-Sustainable Peace and Special Concerns (ISPSC) Cluster said these funds from the OPAPRU were originally intended for the provision of socio-economic interventions to another set or decommissioned MILF combatants as part of the normalization track under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
The DSWD, as part of the Task Force for Decommissioned Combatants and Communities (TFDCC) chaired by the OPAPRU, is among the agencies mandated to provide packages of assistance to decommissioned combatants (DCs) and their families in the form of cash grants, livelihood grants, and endorsement for skills training.
The list of verified MILF beneficiaries is one of the requirements needed by the DSWD to be able to proceed with the provision of assistance for the reintegration process of the Dcs.
The DSWD, however, has not received the official list of target beneficiaries for the fourth phase from the OPAPRU.