DILG shares Sarangani’s rebel program to other LGUs

By April Jane Cagas Ugsad

ALABEL, Sarangani (August 12, 2014) — The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has tapped the Sarangani experience on handling the Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP) for former rebels (FRs) to be shared to other local government units (LGUs) in the whole country.

Lizette Lopez, CLIP program head under the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), joined the replication seminar last May 23 – June 2, 2014 at different venues, in Cagayan de Oro City for the cities and provinces of Mindanao; Cebu City for Visayas LGUs, and Manila for Luzon cluster.

“We have been receiving good remarks about it,” said Lopez.

CLIP is under Sulong Kapayapaan of the Sulong Sarangani flagship program of Gov. Steve Chiongbian Solon.

The program’s goal is to reintegrate former FRs in the social mainstream and uplift their socio-economic conditions to become active partners in development.

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) previously funded the rebel returnee program but it has been turned over recently to DILG.

DILG provides national policy direction, develops implementing guidelines of the program, coordinates with different agencies and assists in the monitoring and evaluation of FRs development. It gives assistance to each qualified FR for mobilization expenses, medical check-up and livelihood. Additional cash assistance is granted if rebels surrender firearms and ammunition.

A thorough validation and authentication of the applicants is done through the Joint AFP-PNP Intelligence Committee (JAPIC), supervised by the CLIP committee.

For this year, the Provincial Government of Sarangani thru the Annual Investment Plan (AIP) has allocated enough funds for its local counterpart of livelihood assistance, food assistance, Philhealth enrolment, and other skills training to qualified rebel returnees. 

Gov. Solon and the rest of the provincial officials are glad of the move of DILG and pledged to continue converging government resources to improve the living condition of all sectors. (April Jane Cagas Ugsad/PROVINCIAL GOVERNOR’S OFFICE)