Nueva Vizcaya steps up support for former rebels and their families
Nueva Vizcaya rolls out a Transformation Program to help former rebels and their families access livelihood aid, housing, and reintegration support in Solano.
NEWSCOMMUNITY
8/16/20263 min read
SOLANO, Nueva Vizcaya — Nueva Vizcaya is doubling down on efforts to protect its insurgency-free status and improve life for former rebels, their families, and their communities. The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), through its Area Management Unit–Northern Luzon, held a two-day Transformation Program (TP) Planning Workshop in this city from Aug. 12-13.
The TP supports the localized peace engagement strategy, one of 12 lines of effort under the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC). It's designed to help former rebels (FRs) fully reintegrate into society and become productive members of their communities.
The workshop followed an FR Summit, where former rebels raised the issues and needs weighing on them most and elected officers for FR-led organizations — a step toward giving FRs a stronger voice in the government's reintegration efforts.
Among their top concerns: more farm-to-market roads, financial management training, housing, livelihood start-up capital, structured deradicalization or psychosocial programs to address past trauma, and clearer guidance on the Joint Armed Forces of the Philippines-Philippine National Police Intelligence Committee (JAPIC) certification process.
JAPIC certification is the official security clearance that verifies the identity and background of FRs and former violent extremists. It's required for accessing government integration and livelihood assistance, including the Department of the Interior and Local Government's Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).
The TP isn't limited to former combatants — it also covers mass supporters who once served as lifelines for armed groups. Over two days, participants built a plan around four components: security, confidence building, healing and reconciliation, and socioeconomic development, all aimed at moving FRs and their communities toward self-sufficiency and peace.
From organizing to opportunity
Registering as members of people's organizations (POs) gives FRs access to government support they'd otherwise struggle to reach — livelihood assistance, skills training, financial aid, educational grants, and other socioeconomic programs.
One such group, Kindling Actions for Peace, Progress, and Inclusive Advocacies (KAPPIA), formed in March 2025. After registering with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the organization secured livestock support from the Department of Agriculture (DA).
"Once we organized as a PO and registered with DOLE, we were able to request livestock from the DA. They gave us chickens and Peking ducks," said KAPPIA member Merlita Valdez.
"Now we'll raise them, grow the flock, and turn it into extra income down the road," she added.
OPAPRU helped facilitate the registration and accreditation of FR-led POs like KAPPIA, connecting them with national agencies that match their needs to the right livelihood programs.
"Our role in the TP is to help you, but you need to help us too — tell us what you need, what your issues and concerns are, so we know what to do and can plan properly to support your reintegration," said Atty. Elisa D. Evangelista-Lapiña, head of the Local Conflict Transformation - Field Implementation Support Office.
"Because you're not just recipients — you should also be part of the planning," she added.
Throughout the workshop, government agencies presented programs FRs may directly access or qualify for as primary beneficiaries, each aimed at building sustainable income sources.
KAPPIA Inc.'s newly installed provincial officers in Nueva Vizcaya are now pursuing accreditation as a recognized Civil Society Organization (CSO) under the Provincial Local Government Unit (PLGU). If granted through an official resolution, the recognition would let KAPPIA Inc. take part in local governance as a non-voting member.
Investing in peace
Nueva Vizcaya is the 59th province to complete its TP Plan — another milestone in the government's push to turn peace gains into lasting opportunities for FRs and their communities.
Gov. Jose Gambito pledged the province's full backing for the TP's implementation, including funding support built into the province's Annual Investment Plan (AIP) so resources are ready once FRs settle on the livelihood or socioeconomic interventions they want to pursue.
"The provincial government has a bigger role to play in the president's Transformation Program because we're the ones on the ground — we know their grievances, their problems, what they need. I'm grateful to OPAPRU for their considerable help," Gambito said.
"As governor of Nueva Vizcaya, we will fold support for rebel returnees into the Annual Investment Plan. Once it's part of the AIP, funding won't be a problem, since it'll already be built into the province's annual budget," he added.
Gambito also reaffirmed his administration's commitment to preserving Nueva Vizcaya's insurgency-free status, awarded in 2023.
"That's how we maintain Nueva Vizcaya's insurgency-free status — because we understand the returnees' frustration. When government support takes too long, some of them lose their motivation," he said.
Through the TP, the government wants FRs to be active partners — not just recipients — in shaping the programs that support their reintegration, livelihood, and long-term development. The push reflects a broader commitment to sustaining peace by meeting communities' socioeconomic needs and giving FRs a real shot at building stable, peaceful lives.
Images: OPAPRU