KIDAPAWAN CITY — Twenty former communist rebels in North Cotabato who opted to rejoin the mainstream society have completed a skills training program from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and are expected to soon become productive citizens.
Army 1Lt. Prolen Bonacua, commanding officer of Alpha Company, 19th Infantry Battalion, said in a radio interview here on Monday, the training for the 20 former New People’s Army (NPA) rebels from Magpet, North Cotabato, was a joint project of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, TESDA, local government units and Institute of Motorbike and Auto Mechanics Incorporated (IMAMI) through the national scholarship integration program of TESDA.
“They are now holders of National Certificate II (NC-2) and have received starter kits,” Bonacua said. He added that the former rebels-turned-skills learners also received monetary allowance while undergoing the six-month training at the TESDA training institute.
One of the graduates, who introduced himself as “James,” said he did not expect that the persons he considered as his enemies are the same people who would help him live a normal life.
“Salamat sa Army (Thanks to the Army),” he said.
In a separate interview, Lt. Col. Elrich Noel Paraso, 19th IB commander, urged other NPAs who remained in the mountains to come down, follow the path chosen by their former comrades and become productive citizens living peacefully with their families. (Edwin Fernandez/PNA)
