A FORMER rebel (FR) said that the delay in the release of the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-clip) by the government and the ongoing abaca crisis in Talaingod might be exploited by the rebels.
Arian Ramos, also known as Ka-Marikit, a former rebel, said these issues can be used against the government and may result in the resurgence of insurgency in the Davao Region.
“Krisis karun didto, kay gipanggutom ang mga tao, monaog ra para mangayo’g bugas sa mga sundalo particularly sa 56th IB (Infantry Brigade) (They have crisis now in Talaingod, they are starving and asking for food from the army),” Ramos said during the AFP-PNP press conference on January 18, 2023.
She said the indigenous peoples (IPs) in the municipality of Talaingod are experiencing a crisis as buyers of their abaca fiber have stopped patronizing their product because of authenticity concerns.
“Dili na dawaton sa usa ka kompanya tungod kay fake daw ang abaca fiber, so, mao na ang struggle karun sa mga tao, wala na silay panginabuhian (The company said their product is fake so they lost their source of income),” Marikit said.
She added about 2,000 IPs were affected by the crisis resulting in suicide incidents and some students stopped going to school.
Marikit said this might be a basic problem but this may give a chance to the resurgence of the rebels.
“Kung tan-awon nato, dako gyud ni siya nga problem kay kana ang pinaka-exploitable issue, pag moingon gani ni ang New People's Army (NPA) og tan-awa nanurender mo sa gobyerno unya nakakaon ba mo? Awa gipanggutom mo (If we’ll check its impact, this is a big problem because this is an exploitable issue. NPA might talk to them and tell them their effort to surrender ends up for nothing because they don’t even have food to eat),” she said.
Aside from this concern, she added that there are also delays in the release of the E-clip assistance.
“Ang under sa Davao City nga benefit wala pa gyud nadawat, ang uban more than a year na (FRs from Davao City are still waiting for the release of their E-clip while others have been waiting for more than a year now),” she said.
She said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is having a hard time sustaining the needs of the former rebels.
Following this concern, in a separate interview with SunStar Davao on January 18, Captain Mark Anthony Tito, 10th Infantry Division spokesperson confirmed the delay of the release of the E-clip assistance.
“On process na po siya, maghuwat ra mi og kanus-a siya ma-release or kung naa na siya’y pundo sa DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) para mahatag na sa mga FRs (It’s already on process so we’ll just have to wait for its release or DILG will be able to allocate funds for it),” Tito said.
However, DILG Regional Director Alex Roldan could not verify the concern during the press conference.
Roldan said he will check why there’s a delay in the release of the E-Clip and when they will be able to release the fund.
Marikit said as long as people have a reason to fight against the government like grievances, a resurgence of insurgency is possible and the efforts of the government to eradicate insurgency will be put in vain.
“Biskan pa man pamatyon nato tanang leader, pandakpon nato ang tanang leader, kung naa gihapon ang hinungdan sa inequality magtunhay gihapon ang insurgence (No matter what we are going to do with the leaders, kill them or arrest them, as long as inequality is present in the society, resurgence is possible),” Marikit said.
Marikit urged local government units to act on the current plights of the FRs to sustain the insurgency-free status of the region. KSD