A PROGRAM aimed at transforming the lives of 214 former members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) was launched in Basilan Monday as part of government efforts to address violent extremism in this island province. Basilan Governor Hajiman Hataman Saliman said the local government is committed to preventing the ASG from making the province their stronghold again. “I thank you for coming back and (joining) the mainstream society… Let’s use our time now for peace building. The government is here to help,” Mr. Saliman is quoted in a statement released by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP). The Prevention and Transformation of Violent Extremist program was conceptualized as members of the terror group started to turn themselves in following continuing pressure from intensified military operations. Basilan Representative-elect Mujiv S. Hataman, brother of the governor and former regional governor of the now defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, invited the non-government organization (NGO) Balay Mindanaw to come up with a holistic program to help the returnees. The reintegration planning was then extended to other sectors such as the military and other NGOs. The program has also received support from the Australian government. “The program that you are all part of today, aligns heavily with Australia’s own priorities in preventing violent extremism not only in southern Philippines but across southeast Asia,” said Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Steven Robinson, who attended Monday’s launch. Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez Jr., who served as brigade commander in Basilan in 2012, said, “Basilan today can be viewed as a model for other areas to emulate in developing programs for the prevention of this misguided ideology to thrive on.” He also said, “We see the active involvement of foreign countries in helping address the fundamentals of the conflict here in Mindanao. I am inviting our private sector to do the same in the spirit of compassion and malasakit (care).”

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