The argument between Senator Raffy Tulfo and Secretary Carlito Galvez became heated during the hearing of the Senate Committee on National Defense, and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation led by Senator Jinggoy Estrada regarding the surrendered rebels, particularly the members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
During the hearing, Tulfo pointed out that the number of surrendered members of the MILF did not match the number of surrendered weapons to the government.
The hearing revealed that up to 26,000 MILF surrendered to the government and were given P100,000.00 each, as part of the government’s program.
It appears that P2.6 billion, was distributed by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity to the surrendered rebel groups, but only 4,625 weapons were surrendered.
It was here that Tulfo spoke about the possibility of corruption taking place because the number of surrendered rebels does not match the surrendered weapons.
Sec. Galvez intervened and said that they are not corrupt, and pointed out that they are not the ones paying the MILF Combatants but the DSWD.
Galvez also explained that not all rebel groups have issued weapons in the organization because some personally have guns and others are borrowed by sympathizers.
He also added that they had a program now that even personal guns will be surrendered to the government by rebel groups. (NEIL JOHN)
