36 former Reds get cash from DILG
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — A total 36 former communist rebels in Pampanga have received cash assistance from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the provincial government.
The cash is part of the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) wherein rebel returnees and their families are given a wide array of benefits to help them reintegrate to mainstream society.
“We are happy that you surrendered to the government. I hope you can use this aid as you start a new life and may you never be encouraged to return to your old groups. This aid is from the taxpayers so please use this for something worthwhile,” DILG Provincial Director Myra Moral-Soriano said.
Recipients include 15 former members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army who each received P65,000 immediate and livelihood assistance, and 21 former members of the Militia ng Bayan who each received P15,000.
Meanwhile, a former rebel expressed her gratitude for the E-CLIP benefits.
“We are fed up with the hardships so we voluntarily returned to the government in 2021. We want to change our lives for the better and put our families in a good situation. This aid that we received from the government is a big help to start our own livelihood," he said.
Present during the cash awarding ceremony were representatives from the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police.
Since the implementation of the E-CLIP program, national government agencies have worked closely to ensure that former rebels are fully reintegrated into society and that they and their families have access to different government services such as scholarship, trainings and employment, among others.