Thirty-six rebel returnees were enrolled in the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) in their headquarters in barangay Mararag, Marihatag, Surigao del Sur on Oct. 10.
1Lt. Krisjuper Andreo Punsalan, the Civil-Military Operations officer of the 3rd Special Forces Battalion, said the rebels surrendered to the 7th Special Forces Company under their battalion, sometime in 2018 and 2019.
Some of the programs of the E-Clip include modified conditional cash assistance, sustainable livelihood programs, cash for work, assistance to individuals in crisis situations, and protective services for individuals and families.
One of the beneficiaries, alias Arnel, called on the communist rebels to abandon the armed struggle to end local communist armed conflict.
“Let’s surrender to the government. We have no future in the CPP-NPA-NDF. They are the ones who are sowing deceit and destroying families,” he said.
Surigao del Sur Governor Alexander T. Pimentel facilitated the enrollment of the 36 ex-rebels in the E-Clip.
Meanwhile, Surigao del Sur’s declaration of persona-non-grata against the communist NPA rebels boosted the province’s implementation of the whole-of-nation approach to end the useless struggle of the communist armed and political front groups as stated in the President Duterte’s Executive Order 70.
