COTABATO CITY
(March 28, 2018) – The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) government’s
reintegration program for Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) returnees has received a
positive message of support from National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.
Sec.
Lorenzana said the national government would support the ARMM’s reintegration
program. The statement came after the program delivered positive results from
its initial interventions.
The Defense
secretary, along with Alexander Macario, assistant secretary for peace and
order of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), attended
the ARMM’s Regional Peace and Order Council meeting on Thursday, March 21, at
the Western Mindanao Command Camp in Zamboanga City.
The
reintegration program dubbed Program against Violence and Extremism (PAVE), was
initiated by ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman’s office. PAVE is designed to provide
opportunities to members of the ASG who surrendered and returned to the fold of
law for reintegration in society. The program is expected to result in more ASG
members surrendering in the coming months.
A total of
173 former Abu Sayyaf members from the provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi
have recently surrendered to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), or to
their local government units (LGUs). John Louie Balagot, cabinet secretary of
the ARMM Governor’s Office and current PAVE manager, said the ASG members must
also give up their firearms upon surrendering.
Balagot added
a series of interventions were piloted involving the 89 returnees from Basilan
since July 2017. The interventions include psychosocial sessions, medical
check-ups, introduction to farming systems, and expository tours outside the
island provinces, which are designed to usher the complete reformation of the
former combatants into decent and productive members of society.
The returnees
will also be provided with farm implements as livelihood support and housing
from the ARMM-Bangsamoro Regional Inclusive Development with Growth and Equity
Program. “After hearing Sec. Lorenzana’s support, we will be able to expand and
enhance our program to deliver more services to the returnees,” Balagot added.
Assistant
Secretary Macario said the national government, through the DILG, is also
making a reformation program dedicated to the ASG. “We commend the regional government
for the initiatives it has taken to stabilize peace and order in ARMM,” Asec.
Macario said.
In the coming
months, the returnees from Sulu and Tawi-Tawi will undergo interventions
similar to those in Basilan. In Sulu, there were 61 returnees, and 23 in
Tawi-Tawi. PAVE has been running in cooperation with LGUs in Basilan, AFP Joint
Task Force, Basilan provincial government, Basilan Young Leaders Program,
Nagdilaab Foundation, Inc., and Eisenhower Fellows Association of the
Philippines. (By J.D. Cadion with reports from Bureau of Public Information)
No comments:
Post a Comment