Negros Occidental – In a significant gesture of support, the provincial government of Negros Occidental has released PHP1 million in educational assistance to the next-of-kin of former rebels from the Revolutionary Proletarian Army - Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB). The aid was distributed during a ceremonial event at the Negros Residences.
According to Philippines News Agency, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, in a statement, emphasized the province's commitment to ensuring a sustainable education system for the youth as part of its peace and security programs. He expressed hope that the beneficiaries would become confident individuals and effective contributors to the community and the nation. Funded under the province's Gender and Development Program for 2023, 30 out of the 200 grantees received PHP5,000 each during the turnover ceremony. The event was attended by Director Christina Loren Umali, director of the RPA-ABB and Cordillera Bodong Administration - Cordillera People's Liberation Army Concerns Office of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), and Veronica Tabara, co-chair of the Joint Enforcement and Monitoring Committee. This assistance is part of the government's commitment to the RPA-ABB and its political wing, the Rebolusyonaryong Partido Manggagawa ng Pilipinas (RPM-P), under the Tabara-Paduano Group (TPG), now known as Kapatiran. This commitment is part of the institutional transformation under the Clarificatory Implementing Document (CID) to the peace agreement signed with the national government in 2000. Brig. Gen. Orlando Edralin, commander of the Philippine Army's 303rd Infantry Brigade, reaffirmed their partnership with the provincial government in supporting these students. The distribution of the educational aid followed the graduation of former combatants and dependents of the RPM-P/RPA/ABB-TPG in Negros from basic military training, marking another fulfillment of the CID of the peace agreement.