GIFT PACKS Soldiers belonging to the Philippine Army’s 106th Infantry Battalion on Saturday get ready to distribute “bundles of joy” or gift packs to children inside the former training camp of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Barangay Datu Tumanggong, Tungawan, Zamboanga Sibugay. —LEAH AGONOY
PAGADIAN CITY—Two hundred and thirty children inside a former training camp of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Datu Tumanggong village in the town of Tungawan, Zamboanga Sibugay province, received gift packs from the Philippine Army’s 106th Infantry Battalion (IB) on Saturday.
The children, age 5 to 12, scampered to open the so-called “bundles of joy” that contained school supplies, toys and food snacks.
Camp Salman Al Farisie, where they live, has been home to the 113th Company of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), the erstwhile military arm of the MILF. It used to serve as a training ground for MILF’s armed fighters but was later turned into a residential area for the fighters’ families when the MILF entered in a peace deal with the government.
Following the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro in 2014 between the government and MILF, the camp underwent the normalization process and was transformed from being a Moro military camp to a peaceful and resilient civilian community, said Lt. Col. Anshary Pumbaya, commander of the 106th IB operating in the area.
The distribution of gift items to the children formed part of the peace-building efforts and strengthening trust and better relations with the community, said Pumbaya.
Developing community
Suaib Edris, commander of BIAF’s 113th Company Base, said it was the first time that their community, particularly their children, experienced the joy of receiving gifts from the military.
“Unlike in the past, before the ceasefire agreement, there were always doubts every time we saw men in [military] uniform,” he said.
Edris said their community has also received livelihood assistance from the Mindanao State University (MSU) based in Marawi City, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and from the University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao.
The MSU projects allowed them to raise livestock and receive training on mushroom production and fish farming, while UP Mindanao has been coordinating with the community to grow fruit trees in their area. Two units of tractors worth P5.4 million from the UNDP helped the community take care of its 50-hectare palm oil plantation in Sipakit village in Sirawai town, Zamboanga del Norte, which still formed part of the MILF territory.
Abdul Kahal Jamaa, deputy commander of the BIAF in the village, said they were also trying to encourage their young people to finish their elementary and high school education, either in regular schools or through the government’s Alternative Learning System.
He said the Technical Education And Skills Development Authority had also prepared a structure inside their camp for their people to avail of skills training soon.
“We are just waiting for its formal inauguration. Later, several of us will receive various training as this would help develop more skills in the community,” Jamaa added. INQ