A TOTAL of 713 former members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) have received training and cash assistance from the government geared to uplift their standard of living.
Arnel Garcia, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Assistant Secretary for Inclusive-Sustainable Peace and Special Concerns, said the training and distribution of cash assistance was held during a two-day peace caravan held last week in the town of Maimbung, Sulu.
“We have conducted a profiling and debriefing to the ASG returnees prior the distribution of cash assistance and welfare goods. This is to deliver services that can uplift their standard of life,” Garcia said in a statement Monday, August 14, 2023.
Garcia said the former ASG bandits were able to avail services from the Serbisyo Caravan of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR), PhilHealth, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and Integrated Provincial Health Office.
Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan expressed his profound gratitude for the initiative efforts of the DSWD and military.
“There is now a sense of freedom living in Sulu. The peace in our province is showcased the unity of the people,” Tan said.
“We thank also the military sector and other agencies in delivering the government services,” Tan added.
Maj. Gen. Ignatius Patrimonio, Joint Task Force (JTF)-Sulu commander, said they will work tirelessly to ensure the synergy of the efforts of the government in the delivery of services to the ASG returnees.
"Your JTF-Sulu also assure you that our campaign using the whole-of-nation approach to sustain the peace and security in the province of Sulu is very effective and on-track," Patrimonio added.
The two-day peace caravan was anchored on the theme "Hatid serbisyo para sa pangkapayapaan, tulay para sa nagkakaisang bayan (Delivering services for peace, a bridge for united people).”(SunStar Zamboanga)