Former rebels in Eastern Samar receive cash thru Social Integration Program

Camp Lukban, Catbalogan City, Samar – 15 former members of terrorist New People’s Army (NPA) from different areas of Eastern Samar received an initial cash benefit of P20, 000 each under the Social Integration Program (SIP) of the government thru Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (OPAPP), 10 A.M., Friday.

The simple awarding of check to the beneficiaries was conducted in the conference room of Eastern Samar’s Provincial Capitol in Borongan City.

Checks were personally handed over by Mr. Florentino Somera, Jr., Regional Coordinator of OPAPP in Region VIII to Mr. Rebamontan Gil, Provincial Social Works and Development Officer of Easterb Samar that were immediately awarded to the beneficiaries.

Col. Jaime Ferdinand Hidalgo, commanding officer of 14IB and Cpt. Sergio Sabiano, Jr., Civil-Military Operations officer of 801Bde were also present to witness the event.

Meanwhile, Mr. Somera Jr. said in his statement that the government will continue to review the said program in order to address the much needed support for the former rebels who returned to the folds of the law and to encourage more with the other rebels who are still in the underground movement to avail of the program.

Somera also said that the beneficiaries will also be receiving livelihood benefits that will be awarded as soon as the validation for their papers has completed.

This was the second time that the OPAPP awarded such benefits for the week.

It can be recalled that same activity was earlier conducted in Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office in Catarman, Northern Samar the other day where four (4) former rebels were also awarded with the same amount.

It was then withnessed by the CMO officers of 803Bde, 20IB and 63IB while Mrs. Carmen Mejia the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer of Northern Samar was the one who handed over the cash benefits to the former rebels.

Both PSWD officers of the two provinces assured the Army units and the OPAPP representatives to continuously assist the former rebels until they totally re-integrated in the society.

Moreover, Maj. Gen. Arthur I. Tabaquero, commanding general of the 8^th Infantry Division conveyed his heartfelt gratitude to all stakeholders who shared their part and support to increase the numbers of rebels who turned their backs against the sole reason why peace and development of the country is hardly achieved.

Maj. Gen. Tabaquero is also optimistic that with the increasing number of rebels who are showing interest to follow the track of their former comrades in going back to the womb of the government, sooner or later, Samar and Leyte provinces will also be declared insurgency free just like Bohol and Cebu which will further boost up its economic condition.

In his concluding statement, he once again called upon the brothers and sisters whom he considered as victims of deceptive mode of the communist terrorists to lay down their arms, and return to the main stream society for a genuine peace and democracy to further improve the region towards development.###