The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has launched last May 14 a new social case management system for former members of non-state armed groups (FMNSAGs) in Region 10 (Northern Mindanao), marking the start of a more enhanced government approach to the reintegration of decommissioned combatants (DCs) in the region.
Over 5,000 DCs in Lanao del Sur and nearly 2,000 in Lanao del Norte are expected to benefit from the new initiative, according to Assistant Secretary Arnel Garcia of the DSWD’s Peace and Development Group (PDG).
The DSWD initiative gathered 56 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) commanders and former combatants to a two-day consultation dialogue in Iligan City where they were introduced to the new case management
process under the agency’s Peace and Development – Buong Bansa Mapayapa (PDBMM) program.
In his keynote message, Asst. Secretary Garcia stressed that with the new system, trained DSWD social workers will assume the role of case managers who will oversee the profiling, needs assessment, and delivery of tailored services to former
rebels and their families.
“This case management process is not an additional burden but a tool for empowerment. It ensures that every former combatant and his family receive support tailored to their unique needs,” Asst. Secretary Garcia said.
The social case management will begin from the moment a former rebel is endorsed to the DSWD and deemed eligible for government aid, and address the previous lack of comprehensive monitoring and aftercare to track the progress and long-term welfare of beneficiaries.
DSWD Field Office (FO) Northern Mindanao Regional Director (RD) Ramel Jamen explained that the project will increase the government’s ability to ensure that state commitments are delivered on time, and DCs are able to maximize granted resources for their sustained reintegration.
“Tayong lahat ay may papel sa Peace and Development Buong Bansa Mapayapa (PDBBM) program. Gamit ang case management, makikita natin ang tunay na pangangailangan ng mga benepisyaryo,” RD Jamen said.
The launch also included a series of briefings where assigned social welfare officers for Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur were introduced, appealing to local commanders’ support for the ground-level implementation of the project.
In response, the MILF and MNLF leaders expressed support for the program, citing it as a big step forward in sustaining peace and improving the lives of former combatants.
The case management system is a core component of the PDBBM program which also covers clients affected by violent extremism and those under Executive Order No. 70 that institutionalizes a whole-of-nation approach to ending local communist armed conflict.
By enhancing coordination, service delivery, and community involvement, the DSWD aims to build on the recalibrated case management system toward a more responsive and inclusive peace infrastructure and framework in conflict-affected areas of Mindanao. (LSJ)