Social Integration Program (SIP) in Mindoro - Philippine Army

(Governor Josephine Ramirez-Sato
awarding the Fifty Thousand (50,000.00)
check to the former rebel Christian Corpuz
Bascos, 3 rd from the left.)
Social Integration Program (SIP)
in Mindoro
enuine peace and sustainable development
can only be achieved through the concerted
effort of all stakeholders. This is the guiding
principle by which 203 rd Infantry (Bantay
Kapayaan) Brigade and it’s OPCON units,
the 80 th IB and 4 th G IB in particular, implement the AFP’s
Integrated Peace and Security Program (IPSP), more
popularly known as “Bayanihan”.
In the Province of Occidental Mindoro, this is very
evident by the fact that all the local leaders are very
much aware of their integral part in the attainment of a
lasting peace and progress in this beautiful and
promising island. Their generous support to the
endeavors of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the
conduct of its operations helps a lot in ensuring an
environment conducive to investments and other
socio-economic activities aimed at improving the quality
of life of their constituents.
A concrete manifestation of this is the increasing
number of insurgents who decided to return under the
folds of law. Just recently, one Susot, Fernando
Estacio, 20 year old, a native farmer of Sitio Lagnas,
Brgy Batasan, San Jose this province voluntarily
surrendered to 1LT RONIE LIBRADILLA PA,
Commanding Officer of Charlie Company, 80 th Infantry
Battalion, 2 nd Infantry Division, Philippine Army with
temporary station at same Brgy. The surrender was
made possible through the assistance of the top
personalities of Mangyan mission: Father Alvin
Sanchez and Sister Armi Sevilla both of Saint Joseph
Cathedral, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro.
Fernando Susot is a former member of Platoon 1,
Kilusang Larangang Girelya 2, Islacom, Mindoro,
Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee operating
in San Jose, Magsaysay, Rizal and Calintaan
(SaMaRiCa). According to him, his surrender was
inspired by the genuine commitment of the army to
pursue and support the peace and development efforts
by the Local Government Units in the area through the
203 rd Brigade’s “Hawak-Kamay Program”.
To provide him with the much needed support to start
his integration to the community, the Honorable Mayor
Jose T. Villarosa of the Municipality of San Jose
immediately provided Twenty Thousand Pesos , two (2)
sacks of rice and boxes of grocery items, with the
assurance of more support should there be more who
would follow the path that Susot took. He said that he
believes that genuine development will eventually set-in
in the absence of terrorist elements in the area.
This was replicated in the Municipality of Magsaysay
with the surrender of one Sonny Boy Sanico Flores to
the Honorable Mayor Leonora B. Fajardo last May 6,
2011 who also provided the same amount of
assistance.

It can be recalled that prior to the surrender of Susot
and Sonny Boy, Christian Corpuz Bascos of Brgy
Bayotbot, Magsaysay, Occidental Mindoro surrendered
to the negotiating team of LT BALOGAN of this unit 2
days before Christmas last year. He was given financial
assistance by the Honorable Governor Josephine
Ramirez – Sato amounting to Fifty Thousand Pesos
(P50,000.00). Christian narrated that his act was
inspired by the surrender of former comrades who
surfaced earlier and never regretted their decision to do
so. They are: Rodolfo Dela Cruz; Rosalie Dela Cruz;
Gener Estacio; Andring Layco; Edel Parisan; Fernan D.
Parisan; Philip Punlaan; Ronald Salcedo; Joel G.
Villanueva; Mary May G. Datiles; Rinaldo Gregorio; and
Manuel Assuncion, who received collectively amounting
to almost a half million pesos in the form of cash and
livelihood assistance provided by the good governor.
The commanding Officer of the 80 th Inf Bn, LTC Rogelio
P Percol, commented that with this promising trend of
increasing awareness and support from local officials,
the civil society and the communities of Occidental
Mindoro to the programs and endeavors of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines, he is very confident that the
people’s collective aspiration for genuine peace and
progress is very much at hand.
Inspired by the improving situation in Occidental
Mindoro brought about by the "Bayanihan" effort of
peace order development stakeholders in Occidental
Mindoro, the Provincial Government of Oriental Mindoro
launched its own initiative to help rebels and their
families to join the mainstream society. During the
Provincial Government Strategic Planning, Col Carlos F
Quita, the Commander of 203 rd Brigade, briefed the
local officials and other participants on the AFP’s
Campaign Plan "Bayanihan" and Brigade's
Hawa-Kamay Program (the local SIP). Thereafter, the
Provincial Government committed to provide an initial
P300,000.00 under the Provincial Social Welfare
Development Program specifically for use in helping
encourage NPA rebels to embrace the folds of the law
and to help them join the mainstream society through
various interventions. On a similar tone, most of the
Mayor of the municipalities in Oriental Mindoro
committed their support to this worthy endeavor. The
LGU, the Brigade and other stakeholders will soon plan
on the implementation of this program.
The spirit of “Bayanihan” in Mindoro lives on and as
expected, it will be the key in winning the peace and in
fostering development in the Island.