DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. (File photo)
MANILA – The national government, through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP), has provided a total of PHP45.79 million in financial and livelihood assistance to about 611 former rebels (FRs) and their families since July, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said on Wednesday.
In a statement, Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said the E-CLIP assistance granted to FRs covers livelihood, education, housing, medical, and other social services crucial to their reintegration into society.
Abalos urged local government units (LGUs) to work closely with the national government in nipping insurgency at the roots by prioritizing programs, projects, and activities that are responsive, socially inclusive, and involve the active participation of different sectors to pursue the country’s peace agenda.
He also cited the institutionalization of the whole-of-nation approach in Executive Order (EO) 70 as the game changer in addressing the ills of society, including poverty, social inequality, and historical injustice.
"Wars are won by the hearts of the people. We need to reframe our focus on viewing insurgency as purely security and military concern into a much broader social, economic concern, and injustice," Abalos said in his keynote speech during the recently concluded Support to Barangay Development Program (SBDP) Summit in Clark, Pampanga.
He also cited the 1,019 completed SBDP projects in insurgency-cleared remote barangays last year that have already made a huge difference in the lives of beneficiaries.
The much-needed infrastructures and social development packages funded by SBDP are those identified by the communities themselves when they crafted their enhanced barangay development programs e-BDPs in priority insurgency-cleared barangays, Abalos said.
"Napapabilis na ang pagdadala ng mga produkto papunta sa mga pamilihan. Sa panahong may medical emergency, may health station na maaasahan sa barangay. Hindi na kakailanganing maglakad ng higit isang oras ang mga bata para makapasok ng paaralan. At matutulungan din ang mga kababaihan at kalalakihan na paunlarin ang kanilang livelihood skills para maka-generate ng mas malaki pang mga kita (The transport of products to the markets has been hastened. In case of medical emergencies, the barangay health station could be relied upon. Children no longer have to walk for more than an hour to get to school. The people can now get help in developing their livelihood skills so they could generate bigger incomes)," he said.
Abalos said funds have also been released for the implementation of 1,658 more SBDP projects this year, which include farm-to-market roads, health stations, school buildings, electrification, livelihood, and various forms of assistance for the beneficiaries.
Because of the active engagement of all sectors of society in the peace agenda, the DILG chief also said the number of active communist guerilla fronts massively decreased from 89 to five and that about 3,207 geographically isolated disadvantaged areas have completed the capacity development initiatives of the Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP).
Despite the huge budget cut in the SBDP 2022 budget from PHP20 million to only PHP4 million per barangay, Abalos assured the LGUs that the DILG and President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. are one with them in ensuring that all the barangays, cities, municipalities, and provinces institutionalize the peace agenda in their plans and pursue programs and activities that would help facilitate the responsive delivery of basic services.
Meanwhile, DILG Undersecretary for Local Government Marlo Iringan said the SBDP Summit goes back to the whole-of-nation approach in EO 70 being the foundation for the crafting of the department's peace projects.
"We have journeyed and worked together to foster localized peace engagements, and opened up livelihood opportunities. Let us celebrate the gains achieved over the years, share the good news, and be more inspired and motivated to give more. Let us ensure vertical linkage of the communities to the national peace agenda," Iringan said.
DILG 3 (Central Luzon) Director Anthony Nuyda said the SBDP addresses the problem of inequality, as funds are now available for development projects even in far-flung areas.
"May we all go back to our constituents full of enthusiasm. Let us lead our constituents towards peace and development," Nuyda said.
The SBDP Summit was organized by the DILG Localization of EO 70 Project Management Office (PMO), SBDP PMO, and DILG-3.
About 700 participants joined the event, among them 10 governors, 250 city and municipal mayors, DILG regional directors, and SBDP beneficiaries nationwide.
The SBDP, a hallmark program of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), brings progress to former conflict-prone communities.
Projects include the construction and rehabilitation of potable water systems, construction of health stations, construction and concreting of farm-to-market roads, rural electrification, construction of school buildings, assistance to indigent individuals or families (such as medical, financial, transportation, burial, and food, or in difficult circumstances, cash for work), livelihood and technical programs, and agricultural projects.
The NTF-ELCAC, created under EO 70 issued on Dec. 4, 2018, is tasked to “provide an efficient mechanism and structure for the implementation of the whole-of-nation approach to aid in the realization of collective aspirations for inclusive and sustainable peace.” (PNA)
