March 28, 2024

BONTOC, Mountain Province – The Department of Interior and Local Government recently granted financial assistance to six former rebels under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP).
Five were former Militia ng Bayan members while one was a regular member of a communist armed group.
Cach of the former rebels received an initial P15,000 financial assistance. A livelihood assistance of P50,000 was given to the member of the communist group, and two received P130,000 after availing of the firearm remuneration program.
From 2018 to present, the ECLIP program here has assisted 14 former rebels.
The immediate assistance released to 14 former rebels amounted to P210,000 while P450,000 was released for the livelihood assistance for nine former rebels and P1,026,000 was for the firearm remuneration of nine former rebels.
 Reintegration assistance was also provided to defray the subsistence cost of former rebels while in the custody of the receiving unit and other incidental expenses that may be incurred while processing the Joint AFP-PNP Intelligence Committee certification to be entitled to ECLIP.
The provision of complete package of assistance to former rebels under ECLIP applies to members of the CPP-NPA-NDF as well as their immediate family members who have surfaced starting April 3, 2018 onwards and have expressed their desire to abandon the armed struggle or those who surrendered starting July 1, 2016 but have not received full assistance under CLIP. – Juliet B. Saley