Growing up, “Jumong”, not his real name, had always wanted to become a soldier.
Sadly, Jumong did not achieve his dream. Instead, he became a member of the New People’s Army. Just like the story of other former rebels, Jumong opted to join the rebel group with the hopes of having a better life. Jumong thought that the group was the key to his ambition of living a comfortable life.
But being with the movement and fighting their ideologies for years, Jumong did not see and feel any improvement in their way of living. He said that they were constantly running and hiding. Every day, he would wonder if he would still live to see another day.
On February 20, 2020, Jumong surrendered to the 29th Infantry Battalion (IB) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Once he gave his life in the mountains because of the rebel group’s ideologies – to no avail, he remained poor, with no opportunities. Now, Jumong and his family were flooded with opportunities in the form of assistance from the national government after his surrender.
Aside from integration and housing assistance, Jumong also became a beneficiary of the Livelihood Settlement Grant of the Sustainable Livelihood Program. The provision of assistance by the SLP is part of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s implementation of Executive Order 70, series of 2018 or the “Institutionalizing the Whole-of-Nation Approach in Attaining Inclusive and Sustainable Peace, Creating a National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, and Directing the Adoption of a National Peace Framework.”
Through this special program, Jumong and his family received Php20,000 which they used as seed capital fund to invest in a hog-fattening project Since they began operations last December 10, 2021, their small livelihood activity has been doing well. Because he also works as an Active Auxiliary of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) under the 29th IB, he has sought the help of his wife and asked her to manage their livelihood.
With the profit from their hog-fattening project, Jumong and his wife were already able to purchase a second-hand motorcycle which they use as means of transportation in buying feeds and vitamins for their hogs. They also use this in bringing their children to school.
After all that has happened, Jumong still dreams of being a soldier and becoming a part of the Philippine Army. He shared that it is his desire to serve the country that has welcomed him and his family back with open arms. “Di nako gusto mabalik ang kinabuhi nga among gipuy-an sa kagahapon ug nangandoy gayud ko nga mahatagan og maayong kaugmaon ang akong pamilya (I do not want to go back to the life we used to have, I dream that I will be able to give my family a good future).”
At present, Jumong has Php50,000 as rolling capital and he aims to purchase a multicab vehicle because they are eyeing to venture into vegetable and fruit vending.
Jumong is at peace knowing that he has made the best decision to surrender and start a new life. He hopes that choosing this new track is the right direction toward a happy, successful, and quiet life. (Social Marketing Section/DSWD Field Office Caraga)
