Article by:
Jose Cielito Reganit
MANILA – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), through its Peace and Development Buong Bansa Mapayapa-National Program Management Office (PDBBM-NPMO), reported significant gains in its peace and reintegration initiatives during the DSWD media forum on Thursday.
Director Miramel Laxa of the DSWD’s PDBBM-NPMO presented the program’s 2025 accomplishments, highlighting the department’s strengthened social case management for Former Members of Non-State Armed Groups (FMNSAGs).
Laxa said the program has reached 27,432 FMNSAGs or 84.88 percent of its target, including 24,912 former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members.
She said that under the direction of Secretary Rex Gatchalian, the DSWD seeks to ensure that these ex-combatants receive proper assistance and prevent them from returning to their former armed groups.
“The instruction of Secretary Gatchalian is to case manage these former members of non-state armed groups. Meaning that after we give them initial intervention, there is continuous follow through nang sa ganoon ay mas makita natin kung ano pa yung kanilang pangangailangan at masiguro na hindi na talaga sila babalik doon sa kabilang grupo (so that we can better see what their other needs are and ensure that they won’t return to the other side),” Laxa told reporters.
Laxa said inter-agency cooperation plays a huge part in these social case management efforts to ensure the successful reintegration of every single FMNSAG.
“We will see to it na maibibigay pa rin yung other needs nila (that their other needs are met), which is outside the DSWD programs and services. Kaya nga po iyong ating referral pathway ay talagang pinaigting natin nang sa ganon, yung iba pa nilang pangangailangan ay matugunan ng gobyerno (That’s why we intensified our referral pathways to ensure that their other needs are provided by the government),” she added.
Based on the PDBBM database, Laxa said a portion of these FMNSAGs have already been integrated into the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), with more expected to qualify under updated targeting systems.
Aside from the 4Ps, she reported that under the MILF Normalization Program, the PDBBM served 16,039 beneficiaries in 2025, which is equivalent to 101.05 percent of its target.
This was made possible through various interventions such as cash-for-work (CFW), provision of seed capital fund (SCF), as well as educational assistance.
A total of PHP450,000 worth of grants were also disbursed to former members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), covering 71.4 percent of the 2025 target.
For its PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn (PAMANA) program, all 511 targeted PAMANA Livelihood Program Associations (PLPAs) successfully received their SCF.
Laxa said assessments are ongoing to expand assistance beyond the current limits to further strengthen household-level support for former rebels.
“At the moment, in terms of the educational assistance, isang anak pa lang nila ang pwede nating ma-extend ng assistance. We are still looking for funding source na kung saan mas maibibigay pa natin yung kanilang mga pangangailangan (we can only extend assistance to one child. We are still looking for funding sources where we can better meet their needs),” she said.
“Kaya ang naging instruction ngayon sa atin ni (That’s why the instruction to us by) Sec. Rex, including when we had the meeting at Malacañang with Special Assistant to the President (Antonio) Lagdameo, is to further assess the needs of the whole household ng ating mga (of our) FMNSAGs.”
Circling back to the social case management service, Laxa said the DSWD is looking to expand its coverage beyond Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, and Central Mindanao by institutionalizing the PAMANA program.
She said case management of FMNSAGs will expand to the Cordilleras, Cagayan Valley, Negros Island Region, Western Visayas, and Eastern Visayas where the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) is concentrated.
When asked by members of the media whether the department faced difficulties engaging with FMNSAGs, Laxa highlighted the strength of inter-agency collaboration and the DSWD’s commitment to assisting former rebels.
“Hindi po kami nahirapan pumasok sa mga areas nila kasi they recognize na serious po ang DSWD (We don’t find it difficult in going to their areas because they recognize that the DSWD is serious), in particular, in providing the assistance to them. I think that is the beauty of our inter-agency efforts,” she said. (PNA)
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