MANILA – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) conducted reengagement activities for 1, 400 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) decommissioned combatants (DCs) in the Davao Region on October 7 to October 11.
The “Kamustahan” validation and assessment carried out through house-to-house visits were meant to monitor the reintegration status of the DCs in their communities and families.
“These reengagement activities are conducted to ensure those who were given the PhP 100, 000 transitory cash assistance were given post-activity care services. These include the needs assessment of decommissioned combatants,” Inclusive-Sustainable Peace and Special Concerns Undersecretary Alan Tanjusay said in a news release.
Some 120 social workers and project development officers from the DSWD Field Office-Soccksargen participated in the activities in the provinces of Davao Oriental, Davao de Oro, Davao Occidental, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao City.
The DSWD had so far supported the re-engagement of 12, 000 DCs. They are among the 26, 145 who were decommissioned in three phases — June 2015, August 2019 to July 2024, and November 2021 to July 2024.
Tanjusay said the DSWD is prepared to assist the new batch of DCs in the fourth and final phase, consisting of about 14,000, of the decommissioning initiative as required by the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) between the government and the MILF.
“We can see that our peace-building initiatives are taking effect, as pronounced by our re-engagement activities in the Davao region. With this, we are more than thrilled to help out more DCs,” Tanjusay said.
Under the CAB’s Normalization Track, MILF combatants shall undergo the process of decommissioning by the Independent Decommissioning Body.
Once decommissioned, the combatants are turned over to the DSWD for the payout of cash assistance and case management. (PNA)