Lt. Col. Ronaldo Valdez, commanding officer of the Army’s 73rd Infantry Battalion (Photo courtesy of the 73IB)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- Some 12 former members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Sarangani province received financial assistance from the national government amid the continuing coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
Lt. Col. Ronaldo Valdez, commanding officer of the Army’s 73rd Infantry Battalion (73IB), said Friday the returnees were included in the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (Tupad) program and the social amelioration program (SAP).
Valdez said nine of them qualified for Tupad’s #BKBK or “Barangay Ko, Bahay Ko” component, which is being implemented by the Department of Labor and Employment, and were hired in community disinfection or sanitation projects for 10 days.
They received salaries of PHP3,260 each or PHP326 per day based on the prevailing daily minimum wage in the region.
He said three other returnees were included in the SAP assistance and received PHP5,000 each from the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
“These interventions were a big relief to our former rebels who were also affected by this crisis,” Valdez said in an interview.
He said the inclusion of the returnees into the assistance programs shows that they are no longer considered “enemies of the state.”
Valdez said it complemented with their continuing efforts to reform the former rebels and transform them into productive citizens.
Meanwhile, he said they were also working with the municipal government of Alabel in Sarangani for the provision of livelihood assistance to eight former NPA rebels who were jailed due to various charges.
The returnees were released from the Alabel district jail last Wednesday through assistance from the 73IB.
He said Alabel Mayor Vic Paul Salarda committed to hiring the freed former rebels as “bantay kalikasan” or environmental enforcers. (PNA)
