DILG administers P6.6-M assistance package to 189 ‘peace advocates’ in Caraga
By Renelle L. Escuadro
BUTUAN CITY (PIA) — As fulfillment of the government’s peace and development agenda, a total of P6.6 million assistance package was administered by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to 189 ‘peace advocates,’ also known as former rebels (FRs), across the Caraga region for the calendar year 2025.
This was reported by the Philippine National Police Caraga, chair of the Operation Center of the Caraga Joint Regional Task Force (JRTF), to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on January 22 during the online presentation of the annual accomplishments for CY 2025 by the 17 JRTFs and 12 national clusters.
As lead agency of the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration and Amnesty Program Cluster of the Caraga RTF-ELCAC, DILG Caraga, through E-CLIP, allocated the said package assistance through the following: P2.4-million immediate assistance to 89 peace advocates; P766,945.80 for firearms remuneration to 8 beneficiaries; P3.4 million to 63 peace advocates; and 29 benefitted from reintegration assistance amounting to P609,000.
Regional Director Maria Loisella E. Lucino of DILG Caraga emphasized that the accomplishment reflected the region’s sustained commitment to the gains of Executive Order No. 70 and the continued collaboration with peace and development partners. “The accomplishment of the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration and Amnesty Program Cluster for CY 2025 reflects the shared dedication of all partner agencies and stakeholders in ensuring that collective efforts continue to push forward the vision of a more peaceful, resilient, and inclusive Caraga region.”
The cluster also shared that in 2025, a total of 52 former rebels surrendered and withdrew support and membership from the Communist Party of the Philippines and National Democratic Front, of which 30 were New People’s Army, and 22 were Militia ng Bayan.
Also, other cluster members provided significant assistance to the peace advocates, such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Caraga, with the amount of P159, 850 to 37 beneficiaries by enrolling them in programs on Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and Recovery and Reintegration Program for Trafficked Persons (RRPTP).
DSWD Caraga under its Sustainable Livelihood Program further helped 10 peace advocates with P3 million worth of aid, and distributed family food packs to 204 peace advocates and their families, while the Department of Health-Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) Caraga facilitated the medical assistance amounting to P155, 219.84 to 46 peace advocates under the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patient (MAIFIP), including outpatient services such as medical check-up, laboratory, x-ray and free medicines,
The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in the Caraga region, on the other hand, awarded 180 peace advocates Certificates of Land Ownership and Certificates of Ancestral Domain Title, with a total land area of 180 hectares.
Meanwhile, E-CLIP is one facet of the many government strategies designed to achieve just and lasting peace, social transformation, and inclusive development by catering to individuals who surfaced and wanted to return to the folds of the law, become productive citizens of the community, and contribute to nation-building.
Since 2018, the program has encouraged reconciliation in a non-violent manner, through the provision of a DILG-administered package of assistance, including immediate assistance, livelihood assistance, reintegration assistance, and firearms remuneration to former members of the CPP-NPA-NDF and Militia ng Bayan. (RLE, PIA Dinagat Islands)