Negros Occidental opens halfway house for ex-NPA rebels

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — The Negros Occidental provincial government has unveiled its first halfway house for former New People’s Army rebels in Barangay Sta. Rosa, Murcia, to support their deradicalization and reintegration into mainstream society.

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson led the blessing and inauguration of the facility, called “Balay Pagbag-o,” together with Department of the Interior and Local Government-Negros Occidental provincial director and concurrent officer-in-charge assistant regional director Teodora Sumagaysay.

Also present were Brig. Gen. Ted Dumosmog, commander of the Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade; Police Col. Dennis Wenceslao, director of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office; Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer Chiqui Gonzales; and Egan Dañoso, president of the Negros Island Region Federation of Peace Advocates, an organization of former rebels.

Beneficiaries will stay at the facility for several weeks or months while receiving psychosocial interventions, livelihood training, and other activities designed to help them rebuild their lives and prepare for a more secure and productive future.

Lacson thanked the beneficiaries for choosing to embrace change and pursue peaceful lives.

He also assured them that government assistance would not end with their stay at the facility.

“The true measure of success is when you are able to return to your communities, live peacefully, find employment, and support your families,” he said.

Lacson said the facility is more than a building because it symbolizes a second chance and the government’s commitment to helping beneficiaries return to their communities with dignity, hope, and opportunities.

The governor also thanked the agencies, partners, and individuals who helped establish the facility.

He said further improvements are planned to enhance its services and provide a more supportive environment for beneficiaries.

Maj. Jecey Batiller, civil-military operations officer, said the halfway house is near a Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit Active Auxiliary detachment to help ensure the beneficiaries’ safety.

Batiller said additional facilities, including a recreation area and livelihood training center, will be constructed.

The facility is expected to become fully operational within the third quarter or before the end of the year, Batiller said.

He said it can accommodate a maximum of 20 former rebels.

Halfway houses are part of the government’s reintegration framework for former rebels, providing temporary shelter and services such as counseling, skills training, and assistance while beneficiaries prepare to return to civilian life under programs including the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program. A similar halfway house is located at Camp Leon Kilat in Tanjay City, Negros Oriental.

That facility was formally turned over in April 2023 and has also been used for reintegration and deradicalization activities involving former rebels.