“Gaya ng bagong pisang sisiw para sa akin ay sumasagisag ng pag-asa para sa isang bagong buhay at bagong simula,” Jim, not his real name, a former rebel, said.

Gone from home

Holding onto the promise of a better life for him and his family, Jim left his home to join the leftist group in the summer of 1987. He didn’t hesitate despite the possibility of not being able to see his loved ones again.

The 18-year-old Jim firmly embraced the idea that armed struggle is the only way to get what he and his family deserve from the government.

“Napalabas iti tawen ket nagdaldalyasat iti inaramid me kadagiti banbantay ti Kordillyera. Idi damo mayat iti rikna ta kasla agpaspasyar laeng, aginana ken maturog kami iti sadino a lugar (Years passed by and we traversed the mountains of the Cordillera. At first, everything seemed to be an adventure as it was cool to rest and spend the night anywhere),” Jim shared.

However, the sense of excitement and adventure gradually faded as the years passed.  Pursuing the concept of the “fruits of their sacrifices” was seemingly bleak and far from becoming a reality.  Jim realized that life back home might be a bit hard but he admitted that hiding is harder, wherein even the basic necessities were seldom met.

An uninterrupted return

“Idi naialis ak Ilocos Region adat nakakita kenyak nga kailyan ket dinamag dak nu anya araramidek idjai a lugar ken inpaka-amu na a ni tatang ko ket na stroke (When I was transferred to Ilocos Region, I met a friend from our hometown who asked me what I was doing in Ilocos and informed me that my father had a stroke),” he added.

After knowing the condition of his father, Jim decided to go back home, with a realization that he was gone too long from loved ones and that he missed many remarkable moments with his relatives. To compensate for the years he was not with them, he took care of his father. Being with loved ones, Jim felt that all the weariness from his time in hiding disappeared.

He desired to stay at home and be with his family, yet, the calling of the ‘noble cause’ that the leftist is supposed to pursue, encouraged him to go back to the armed movement.

Back in the armed movement, as a result of a defiance he committed, his firearm was seized as a punishment, and he was prohibited from possessing one for the next five years.

He felt useless but this opened an opportunity as he was allowed to go home to his family and work for a living with the condition that he had to constantly communicate with the “armed movement”.

In 2011, he then married and became a father. Looking at his newborn child, he was energized to work even harder. And as his family grew, he decided to forget and distance himself from the “armed movement” and instead focus on his family.

A new beginning

In 2019, while doing farm work, uniformed military men arrested Jim due to his reported involvement with the “armed movement”. He was brought to Bontoc as part of the standard operating procedures and was allowed to go home to his family the following day. There were several times he was asked to go to Bontoc with several barangay officials as companions. Eventually, Jim returned to the folds of the law through amnesty.

The following year, he was one of the recipients of the Livelihood Settlement Grant (LSG) from the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office CAR under its Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).

From his grant of PhP 20,000.00, he started his mini poultry project in October 2020. According to his wife, the said livelihood helped their family, especially during the pandemic. Eggs from the mini poultry were their daily source of food, while excess ones were sold in the community.

“Dakel iti iyaman me iti daytoy nga inted da a tulong para opportunidad a pangrugyan. Gapo met lang ditoy naadaan ti tyansa ti pamilya me nga agmaymaysa karu tadta nga pandemya (I am very grateful for the opportunity to start over again and the chance to bond as a family in the midst of the pandemic),” Jim shared.

Jim hopes that this scaled up poultry business will provide prosperity and grace for his family, with him adding his hard work, perseverance, and faith in God.

As part of the steps taken by the national government to help former rebels (FRs) rebuild their lives, each FR, once deemed eligible, is given the opportunity to receive LSG worth PhP20,000.00, an economic intervention for the poor, vulnerable, and disadvantage sectors.

Looking back, Jim realized that there is no need to join the “armed movement” in order to pursue progress and development for one’s self, for one’s family, for one’s community and for one’s country.

“Dakayo nga ubing ita, aganad kayo iti pakisalsali an yo nga organisasyon. Haan tayo kuma nga nalaka nga mamatpati. Tapnu saan yo a mapadas iti madi nga kapadasak (To the young people take extra precautions and be critical in joining organizations. Do not believe and get easily deceived. Do not make the same mistake as I did)”, he ended.

Jim is a living proof that through its various interventions, including the provision of livelihood assistance, the DSWD has helped end the long years of hiding of former rebels.  ###