NPA leader surrenders in Agusan Sur
By Janen Lumandas
BUTUAN CITY, Apr. 3 (PIA) - A New People’s Army
(NPA) leader has surrendered to the 401st Brigade, Philippine Army on Sunday,
Apr. 2.
Col. Cristobal Zaragoza, 401st Brigade Commander,
identified the NPA leader as Estelito Camino Jr., also known as Ka Puma,
commanding officer of the Sub-Region Sentro de Grabidad of the North Eastern
Mindanao Regional Committee of the NPA operating on the boundaries of Surigao
del Sur and Agusan provinces.
Accordingly, Ka Puma was with the NPA for 14 years
where he earned several warrants of arrest including those for murder cases for
the atrocities they committed.
Ka Puma cited hardship and disillusionment with the
NPA as reasons for his surrender. He said he wants to be an example to his
sub-commanders in pursuing with their surrender plan after he has proven that
no maltreatment is committed by government forces to those who surrender,
contrary to the stories told them by their older cadres.
He revealed that being with the NPAs left him no
chance of being with his wife and three kids who are also hard-up after they
failed to give their promised monthly support to his family. He also bared that
most of his comrades are already thinking of laying down their arms at an
opportune time as they accordingly believe that the Duterte administration is
their best chance for a peaceful life.
As top ranking NPA, he accordingly saw how
corruption works in the NPA and named top ranking leaders pocketing extorted
money from businesses and farmers.
Meanwhile, Col. Zaragoza also credited the
surrender of Ka Puma to the relentless pressure exerted by the 402nd Brigade
and Philippine National Police (PNP) in Surigao and Agusan which led to the
arrest of Ka Puma. He revealed that Ka Puma is willing to face his criminal
cases and hopes that his surrender will mitigate his legal cases.
Major General Benjamin Madrigal of the 4th Infantry
Division congratulated the two Brigades, the PNP Caraga and the intelligence
units of the Army for the feat. He instructed them to prepare for the influx of
surrenders as Ka Puma has a following in the NPAs in the region. (401st
Brigade/PIA-Caraga)
Feature: Wonder women of Brgy. Sta. Cruz
By Marko Davey Reyes
Amidst the scorching heat of the sun, you would
find Tessie Dador, Alicia Ang, and Richelyn Morales clothed not with a dainty
dress but with sweatshirts or jackets paired with work boots and gloves wearing
hard hats while shoveling and filling sacks with gravel and stones. They work
hand in hand with Eglecerio Socagel and other men at the site of their
Kalahi-CIDSS funded 130 linear meter concrete pavement community sub-project.
This setting may perhaps come off as a surprise not
just for some people who are not familiar with the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa
Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services
(Kalahi-CIDSS) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD) but most especially because of the prevailing notion of society,
stereotyping and limiting women in traditional roles. For Tessie, Alicia,
Richelyn and other mighty Kalahi-CIDSS women volunteers and paid laborers of
Barangay Sta. Cruz, Loreto, Province of Dinagat Islands, this is a perception
that they have come to challenge.
Kalahi-CIDSS recognizes the valuable contribution
and vital role of women in nation building that is why the program ensures to
offer equal opportunities for women, young, old and even those with
disabilities, to participate in decision making and engage in the
implementation of community development projects. The program also provides
opportunities for women with income generating activities through employing
them in short-term engagements in the construction of their sub-projects.
The program uses the Community Driven Development
(CDD) strategy to achieve a more inclusive growth and development through
facilitating community empowerment as well as promoting gender equality. With
this approach, all sectors of the community is given a chance to voice out
their needs, identify projects which would address these needs and allow them
to implement these sub-projects themselves. To empower communities, volunteers and
prospect laborers undergo a series of trainings which not only enrich their
knowledge on community development and local governance but also enhance their
skills while preparing them for their sub-project implementation and
maintenance.
Through the years, Kalahi-CIDSS has been successful
in promoting gender equality by strengthening and integrating Gender and
Development (GAD) principles in its processes.
In Caraga Region alone, the program was able to
employ 3,141 women paid laborers and engage 13,470 women volunteers during its
2nd cycle of implementation from June to December 2016. The whole process in
itself is an arduous journey for communities like Brgy. Sta Cruz, but this is
something that people like Tessie, Alicia and Richelyn are so willing to
undergo not only because of their deep aspiration to make a profound change in
their community but also to send a message to other women that it is not up to
society or anyone but you to decide what you can and cannot do to mark a
difference.
As what Alicia Ang, the oldest of the three wonder
women of Sta. Cruz, would want to put it: “Kung unsay makaya sa mga lalaki
makaya pud sa babaye (Women can do anything men can do)." (DSWD-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)
