In line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s commitment to advancing the government’s peace agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has commenced on Tuesday (June 24) a verification and profiling activity which includes the provision of transitory cash assistance to MNLF beneficiaries in the Province of Sulu.
Some 518 MNLF combatants are expected to participate in the profiling activity, each receiving Php45,000.00 under the Bangsamoro Transitory Family Support Package (BTFSP). This initiative aims to support their transition to peaceful civilian life and help jumpstart likelihood opportunities for their families
Undersecretary Alan Tanjusay of the DSWD’s Peace and Development Group (PDG), emphasized the program’s role in promoting peacebuilding, social reintegration and inclusive development in conflict affected areas as well as by providing a tangible peace dividend to the MNLF combatants and their families.
“Itong cash assistance na ito ay gamitin po natin nang maayos. Ito ay simula ng panibagong yugto ng inyong buhay bilang bahagi ng mapayapang pamayanan,” Undersecretary Tanjusay told the beneficiaries during the opening ceremony of the profiling activity at the Sulu State University – Center for Culture and Arts in Patikul town.
During the activity, Undersecretary Tanjusay also personally engaged with the MNLF combatants, conversing with them individually and as a group, underscoring the significance of using the assistance wisely for the benefit of their families and communities.
Within the year, the same batch of beneficiaries will proceed to the next phase of the program which will include a cash-for-work component. This will serve as a temporary employment opportunity designed to further strengthen their economic resilience and facilitate their seamless reintegration into mainstream society.
“The program is not only a compliance mechanism under the peace agreement but also a manifestation of shared hope, reconciliation, and inclusive development. Through this collaborative initiative, the government takes another meaningful step toward sustainable peace in the Bangsamoro,” Undersecretary Tanjusay stressed.
The verification and profiling activity is scheduled from June 24 to 28 to accommodate all endorsed MNLF combatants in Sulu.
Adding to the significance of the event were the video messages of support from DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian; Secretary Carlito Galvez of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU); BGen. Buenaventura Pascual, the Chairperson of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) Management Committee; MNLF Management Committee Chair MP Utoh Salem D. Cutan; and local officials of Sulu.
Joining Undersecretary Tanjusay was Director Melvin Dayrit of the DSWD Peace and Development Buong Bansa Mapayapa–National Program Management Office (PDBBM-NPMO), together with the DSWD MNLF Transformation Program focal person Victoria Santiago-Lavabo. (AKDL)