BORONGAN CITY (PIA) -- The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) turned over last month a newly-constructed halfway house costing P5 million for the former rebels of Eastern Samar, their temporary shelter while being treated, transformed, and prepared for reintegration into society.

According to Gov. Ben P. Evardone, the halfway house represented fervent hope for peace in the province.

“May this project inspire our brothers and sisters who are still wayward to come forward and embrace the genuine and sincere efforts of the government to unify our country to attain peace and development,” he shared.

Attending the inauguration and ceremonial turnover were Borongan City Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda, Gov. Evardone, Vice Gov. Maricar Sison Goteesan and some SP members, Bishop Crispin Varquez, and some members of the Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF-ELCAC).

Also present were Atty. Arnaldo E. Escober Jr., DILG-8 regional director; MGen. Edgardo De Leon, commander of the 8th Infantry Division and chairperson of the RTF8-ELCAC Technical Working Group; and  PCol. Matthe Lingan Aseo, Eastern Samar PNP provincial director.

Others present included Rene V. Valera , assistant director, OPDS, DILG Central Office; Visitacion V. Giva, DILG provincial director; and Imelda A. Bonifacio, regional manager of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation  and Unity (OPAPRU). (MMP/SDC/PIA E. Samar)