Twelve (12) members of Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and Dawlah Islamiyah (DI) chose to rejoin the mainstream society on August 27, 2024, received cash assistance from the Ministry of Public Order and Safety (MPOS).
The return of these local insurgents was facilitated by the 6th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army (PA) in partnership with the MPOS. The cash assistance distributed to each of the returnees, amounting to Php 5,000, was part of the continuous initiative of the ministry. The initiative is to encourage this vulnerable sector to return to the government and be part of the peacebuilding efforts of the Bangsamoro government in sustaining the gains of peace.
In her speech during the presentation of the returnees, Ms. Sittie Janine M. Gamao, MPOS Chief of the Peace Education Division, shared that, “𝘏𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘬𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘭𝘪 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘨𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘥𝘢𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘺𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘩𝘰𝘯 𝘯𝘢 𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪 𝘱𝘢 𝘬𝘢𝘺𝘰 𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘣, 𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪 𝘵𝘪𝘺𝘢𝘬 𝘯𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘭𝘪 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘶𝘩𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘺𝘰 𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘣 𝘯𝘢 𝘬𝘢𝘺𝘰. 𝘈𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘪𝘺𝘢𝘬, 𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪 𝘯𝘢 𝘬𝘢𝘺𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘰𝘣𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘰, 𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪 𝘯𝘢 𝘬𝘢𝘺𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘰, 𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪 𝘯𝘢 𝘬𝘢𝘺𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘴𝘢 𝘮𝘨𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘺𝘰, 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘢 𝘯𝘪𝘺𝘰 𝘯𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘨𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺𝘢 𝘯𝘪𝘺𝘰. 𝘈𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘪𝘺𝘢𝘬, 𝘬𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘨 𝘴𝘢 𝘮𝘨𝘢 𝘮𝘨𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘰𝘬 𝘯𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯 – 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘪𝘨𝘺𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘢𝘺𝘰𝘴 𝘯𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘩𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺𝘢 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯, 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘰 𝘴𝘢 𝘬𝘰𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘥 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯, 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘪𝘴𝘢 𝘴𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘣𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘰 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯.
BGEN Oriel L. Pangcog PA, Commander of the 601st Brigade, PA, Members of Parliament Hon. Atty. Suharto Ambolodto, Hon. Faizal Karon, and Hon. Bassir Utto, Mayor of Datu Piang Hon. Victor Samama, and representatives from other Bangsamoro government agencies, and local government units graced the program and expressed their support to the said returnees.
Moreover, these 12 returnees will be enrolled in the peacebuilding training program of the MPOS.
