• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Dependents of the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division soldiers, who died in the line of duty, received assistance from the government’s Comprehensive Social Benefits Program (CSBP) in Iloilo City on Wednesday, Nov. 20.
First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, Interior and Local Government Undersecretary for Peace and Order Jon Paulo Salvahan and Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. led the awarding of assistance to the CSBP beneficiaries.
Among them are the families of the late Sergeants Regie Glindro and Ken Camilan, both of 47th Infantry Battalion, and Corporal Richard Rafols, of the 11th Infantry Battalion.
Glindro and Camilan were summarily executed by the New People’s Army in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental in November 2022, while Rafols died in an encounter with rebels in Santa Catalina, Negros Oriental in August last year.
CSBP was institutionalized by Executive Order No. 110, series of 2020.
It provides immediate and long-term assistance to affected families which includes special financial assistance, educational/scholarship assistance, special welfare assistance, health and medical care assistance, shelter assistance, and employment assistance.
The program covers military and police forces, including uniformed personnel of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Coast Guard, and the Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit Active Auxiliary units.
Also among the more than 300 beneficiaries from Regions 6, 7, 8, 2, 5, 10, 12, and BARMM who received the CSBP assistance were the dependents of Private First Class Mark Nemis, who died in an encounter in Lambunao, Iloilo in April 2020, and Corporal Frederick Villasis, who was brutally killed by rebels in Tapaz, Capiz in August 2021.
In a statement, Maj. Gen. Marion Sison, 3ID commander, thanked the government for extending such support to the families, widows, and children of the fallen soldiers.
“We are deeply grateful to our government, particularly the Department of the Interior and Local Government as the lead implementer of the CSBP, for providing this vital support to the families of our fallen heroes. The comprehensive benefits, offered through this program are a true testament to the nation’s respect for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice,” Sison said. | GB
