80 ex-rebels avail of Clip

SOME 80 former New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Davao City availed of financial assistance through the Comprehensive Local Integration Program (Clip).

Davao City Social Services and Development Office (CSSDO) head Maria Luisa T. Bermudo, in an interview yesterday, said the city, in cooperation with various agencies led by Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), was able to extend financial assistance to former rebels through the Clip program.

She said under the program, rebels received P50,000 for livelihood assistance and P15,000 for immediate financial assistance.

"Clip program started in 2011, it is a program

for the former rebels which include social welfare, livelihood, health," Bermudo said.

Clip aims to facilitate the mainstreaming of former NPA rebels as productive citizens in their communities.

Based on joint circular of issued by DILG and Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (Oppap), qualified beneficiaries of Clip are those regular member of NPA who surfaced 2011 onwards who have expressed the "desire to abandon armed violence and become productive members of the society" including their partners/ spouses, (whether legitimate or illegitimate) parents or siblings if applicable.

Also qualified are those who did not receive full assistance under the Social Integration Program (SIP) based on Oppap's Special List of former rebels that surfaced in the year 2007-2009.

She added that the Task Force Davao and the police conduct initial assessment and investigation to those who surrendered and their office, the CSSDO, conducts further validation.