RELIEF AID. Sixty-five former members of the Abu Sayyaf Group in the municipality of Sumisip, Basilan province, receive Friday (June 19,
2020) relief goods and hygiene kits from Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc. The relief assistance is part of the Covid-19 response program of BMFI, which was assisted by the Army's 64th Infantry Battalion during the activity. (Photo courtesy of 101st Infantry Brigade)
ZAMBOANGA CITY – A total of 65 former members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) received relief goods and hygiene kits from Balay Mindanaw Foundation Inc. (BMFI) amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, a military official said Saturday.
Brig. Gen. Fernando Reyeg, 101st Infantry Brigade (IB) chief, said the ASG “returnees” were selected as beneficiaries of the government’s Program Against Violent Extremism (PAVE) for Peace in the town of Sumisip, Basilan.
The 64th Infantry Battalion (IB), one of the operating units of 101IB, helped the BMFI in the distribution Friday of the relief aid in Barangay Tumahubong, Sumisip.
BMFI is a Filipino Mindanao-based and Mindanao-focused non-stock, non-profit organization, which is primarily engaged in promoting equity-based development and sustainable peace.
The relief goods consisted of a sack of 25-kilogram rice; five cans of sardines; five packs of noodles; a pack of coffee; and a kilogram of sugar.
The hygiene kit contained a bottle of alcohol, a toothbrush, a bar soap, a shampoo, and sanitary napkins for women.
Reyeg said the program is for the social healing and reconciliation brought about by the effect of enhanced community quarantine measures implemented by the provincial government of Basilan.
Also present during the activity were Ariel Hernandez, special assistant to the secretary of the office of the Presidential Peace Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity; Lt. Col. Freddie Calosing, commander of the 68IB; and Sumisip Mayor Jul-Adnan Hataman. (PNA)
