OPAPP fast-tracks integration of CamSur rebel returnees

PILI, CamSur –The Office of Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAAP) in collaboration with the Provincial Government of CamSur is launching an enhanced and rationalized program to facilitate the mainstreaming of former combatants and their families to normal and productive civilian life in CamSur.

This developed at the consultation meeting Thursday afternoon, January 6, at the Mansion Suites of the Provincial Capitol here attended by OPAPP officials, key personnel of the provincial government and officers of the Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police in the province.

The meeting was an off-shoot of the regional consultation of the project, dubbed at the national level as the Social Integration Program (SIP), held last December 10 at Legaspi City.


The national government is very keen on evolving an enhanced program that shall encompass all five previous programs implemented under various administrations since President Fidel Ramos where combatant-returnees who availed of previous packages will be given priority, according to Dir. Rolly Asuncion, head of OPAPP’s peace institution and social integration group.

This feature of the SIP was well received by the military, represented by Philippine Army’s 9ID Deputy G7 Lt. Col. Roel O. Rafe, who has received the brunt of complaints from returnees of past program for non-implementation of the condition of integration programs they availed.

The meeting included an overview of past integration programs to dissect their advantages, defects and inadequacies, the legal bases and guiding principles/polices and goals/objectives of the current SIP, its key components and implementation and mechanism and salient features of targets of Category I, the first of three categories of beneficiaries where the SIP will focus starting this year up to 2016.

Intended to be nationally led but LGU-driven, a major objective of the meeting was for the province to come up with its local reintegration program to be ready for implementation of the SIP once the national framework is confirmed by higher authorities.

The provincial government group led by acting provincial administrator Fermin A. Mabulo assured the OPAPP CamSur, which has been implementing an independent integration program since 2007, will be ready with its local program under the SIP framework when the group meets again third week of January.

A significant project of the local initiative is the establishment of an on-going shelter program for returnees at a property provided by the province where all validated former combatants are now helping each other build their abodes in the style of the Gawad Kalinga projects.


At the next meeting, as soon as the local program is passed upon, the OPAPP will share pertinent portions of its extensive database for validation, updating and future use of the SIP implementors at the local level. (GBClaveria/MMEC)

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