• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Dependents of soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division, who died in line of duty, received assistance from the government’s Comprehensive Social Benefits Program (CSBP) on Wednesday, in Iloilo City.
First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, DILG 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 the families of the late Sgts. Regie Glindro and Ken Camilan, both of 47th Infantry Battalion, and Cpl. 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 s. 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, according to regional Army spokesman Lt. Col. JJ Javines.
The program covers military and police forces, including uniformed personnel of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and the Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) Active Auxiliary (CAA) units.
Among the more than 300 beneficiaries from Regions 6, 7, 8, 2, 5, 10, 12, and BARMM who received CSBP assistance were also 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.
Included also in the list of CSBP beneficiaries were fallen soldiers of the 3ID who were killed during the Abu Sayyaf raid in Bohol and the Marawi siege in 2017.
In a statement, Maj. Gen. Marion Sison, 3ID commander, thanked the government for extending the said support to the families, widows, and children of the fallen soldiers.
The awarding ceremony was also attended by Brig. Gen. Michael Samson, commander of the 301st Infantry Brigade.
“We are deeply grateful to our government, particularly the DILG 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.
He added that the benefits will undoubtedly ease the burden on the families, helping them meet their daily needs and ensuring that they are not left to navigate life’s challenges alone after losing their loved ones.*
