90 Samar ex-rebels to undergo skills training
By Roel Amazona / Philippine News Agency
BASEY, Samar – The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has selected 90 former rebels in this town as recipients of the skills training scholarship program.
Each former rebel who will continue to undergo the training program is entitled to a PHP500 allowance, which they will use to buy hygiene kits in the entire training duration, PHP500 as load allocation, accident insurance from the Government Service Insurance System, and PHP160 daily allowance throughout the training period, according to TESDA Samar provincial director Loreta Banario on Tuesday.
The former rebels are residents of Mabini, a remote village in Basey town, one of the areas identified by the national government and local government as affected by insurgency.
The skills training includes organic farming, electrical wiring installation, and shielded metal arc welding.
“These three competencies are products of consultation conducted by the Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police in their community. They are lucky because we have slots opened for these skills training,” Banario said.
Twenty residents will undergo training on electrical wiring installation, 20 for shielded metal arc welding National Certificate II, while 50 will study organic farming.
“Our goal here is for the former rebels to have their own livelihood once the training is completed,” she added.
The training will be held throughout December.
After the training, other government agencies will also come in to provide additional assistance such as the Department of Labor and Employment and the Department of Trade and Industry.
"Lino" (not his real name), who has not even completed elementary education, is one of the beneficiaries of the shielded metal arc welding skills training. When he was 18, he spent four years as a member of the New People’s Army.
His father, still an active NPA fighter, persuaded him to join the armed struggle.
Lino recalled that a soldier friend convinced him to leave the communist group last year.
Now that he is back in the community, Lino grabbed the opportunity to learn new skills aside from traditional farming.
“I don't regret my decision to surrender. I can see that the government is really sincere in its campaign to help rebels. Since the time I decided to abandon the NPA ideology, the government has been very supportive to me and my family,” he said.
The local government unit of Basey is optimistic that with this assistance, former rebels will fully enjoy a productive life with their families.
"Our goal is to reduce poverty incidence in our town. One way of doing that is to provide skills competency to its residents like this one being provided by TESDA," Mayor Luz Ponferrada said.
Mabini was one of the villages in Basey town infiltrated by the NPA due to poor access to government programs.
The NPA, which has been waging a five-decade armed struggle against the government, is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA)