Cagayan de Oro City: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is expanding its workforce engaged in handling Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) decommissioned combatants (DCs) in Regions 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula), 10 (Northern Mindanao), and 12 (Soccsksargen) to boost its peace and development efforts.
According to Philippines News Agency, Undersecretary Alan Tanjusay of the DSWD Peace and Development Group stated that the department has been mandated to lead in providing social services to decommissioned combatants under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro. Consequently, DSWD Field Office 12 was initially tasked with handling cases of the MILF-DCs regardless of their geographic location. However, after extensive consultations with key stakeholders, the department recognized that a decentralized approach would be more sustainable.
Responsibility for handling cases of DCs is now officially shared with DSWD Field Offices 9 and 10 following the turnover of former MILF combatants' case files and information. The turnover was among the activities held from February 17 to 20 at the Pearlmont Hotel in Cagayan de Oro City by the DSWD-PDG, in collaboration with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) and the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Tanjusay emphasized that with a more decentralized approach, the DSWD can ensure that the government's commitments and deliverables are closely monitored, and better facilitate the reintegration of DCs into mainstream society. The new case management system, part of the Buong Bansa Mapayapa (BBM) project, includes establishing regional offices in Regions 9 and 10 to focus on monitoring the reintegration of decommissioned combatants.
In addition to the turnover of case files, the DSWD-PDG spearheaded training sessions for 45 peace and development focal persons. A major component of these sessions was hands-on training on the DSWD's digital case management system, designed to track MILF beneficiaries' progress, document interventions, and streamline data management. This initiative aims to enable participants, expected to become case managers, to efficiently handle beneficiary data and ensure seamless coordination among field offices.
These initiatives reaffirm the government's commitment to making sustainable peace and development more accessible in conflict-affected areas, ensuring that decommissioned combatants receive the necessary assistance for their social and economic reintegration.
