Reformation center nearing completion in former ASG bastion in Sulu
BANGSAMORO NEWS UPDATES • 17:15 PM Tue Sep 26, 2023
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By:
Edwin O. Fernandez
COTABATO CITY – Former Moro extremists who opted to rejoin the mainstream will soon become productive citizens once they complete skills training provided by the Bangsamoro government.
Lawyer Naguib G Sinarimbo, BARMM Minister of the Interior and Local Government (MILG), has reported that the P25 million worth of Reformation Center for the former Abu Sayyaf Group is nearing completion.
The center in Patikul, Sulu would aid former ASG members in becoming productive citizens.
Sinarimbo said the center's establishment in Barangay Langhub, Patikul is part of the Bangsamoro government's commitment to maintaining peace in Mindanao.
He added that the building will also serve as a skills training center where former ASG rebels’ ideological convictions would be reoriented.
"We believe that the long-term solution is to provide them with a new perspective on how to interpret their religious beliefs," Sinarimbo said in a statement.
"As we work for peace and development in the Bangsamoro," Sinarimbo said, "we will respond to the needs of all sectors of society so that together we can co-create a future for all."
Until recently, Barangay Langhub was a well-known ASG stronghold. It was hardly reached by the people of Sulu, including the military because of the heavy ASG presence.