GENERAL NAKAR, Quezon (PIA) — The provincial government of Quezon broke ground on Tuesday, January 16, for a halfway house and a housing project for former rebels in Barangay Pamplona in General Nakar town. 

Governor Angelina Tan led the groundbreaking ceremony along with officials of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), 2nd Infantry Division of Philippine Army (2ID), and the municipal government of General Nakar. 

The facility will provide temporary shelters and livelihood training center to members of the New People's Army (NPA) who have surrendered to the government. 

Dubbed Balikatan Village or "Bahay Lingap sa Kababayang Tugon at Nagbabalik-loob sa Pamahalaan," the facility will offer free housing units to surrenderers and their families as they transition to mainstream society. 

Citing that the project has no specific budget allocation, Tan said the construction of the Balikatan Village would be a collaborative effort between the local and provincial government and its partner agencies. 

The design will be provided by the provincial government, while the materials for its construction will be funded by the governor's family. Former rebels, who are also beneficiaries of the housing project, will oversee its construction through a cash-for-work program to be funded by DOLE and 2ID.

Tan thanked the municipal government of General Nakar for donating one hectare of land for the project.

According to Tan, the housing project is part of ongoing efforts to support former rebels and maintain the province’s insurgency-free status. She emphasized that programs like these help eliminate the stigma that Quezon province is an NPA haven. 

"We are glad that the stigma of our province as an NPA haven is gradually disappearing over time. We aspire and hope to completely eliminate this perception about our province by maintaining our insurgency-free status,"  Tan emphasized.

She also urged former rebels to assist the government in encouraging active members to surrender and take advantage of various assistance programs. 

"We hope you will be our partners in encouraging more active [NPA] members to surrender to government and put a stop to their recruitment activities. With your help, we can maintain the insurgency-free status of Quezon Province," said Tan. 

During the groundbreaking ceremony, at least 27 former rebels also received cash assistance under the Ehanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) of the DILG Region IV-A. They also received food packages from the Department of Social Welfare and Development and livelihood assistance from DOLE.

The former rebels supported the initiative and thanked the government for giving them a chance to return and start anew. 

"We hope for unity because it is the strength of our nation, and our actions are the success we aspire to," said Kagawad, one of the E-CLIP beneficiaries. (RMO/FSC, PIA Quezon)