Reformatory Center in Sulu Offers Hope for Former Abu Sayyaf Members’ Reintegration
The P25 million worth reformatory center building in Barangay Langub in Patikul, Sulu is expected to be completed before the year ends. (Contributed Photo)
COTABATO CITY – Officials are anticipating the smoother reintegration of hundreds of former Abu Sayyaf members in Sulu with the construction of a P25 million reformatory center in the province.
Army Major Gen. Steve Domin-ong Crespillo, commander of the military’s Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), expressed his gratitude on Wednesday to the Ministry of Interior and Local Government (MILG) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) for initiating the project.
Crespillo emphasized the importance of this effort saying, “It is crucial for the military and the Philippine National Police to facilitate the transformation of these former enemies of the state into productive members of society, enabling them to live in peace within their barangays in Sulu.”
The MILG under Naguib Sinarimbo funded the construction of the reformatory center, Crespillo said.
Patikul, one of Sulu’s 18 towns, witnessed deadly clashes between Abu Sayyaf terrorists and government troops from the 1980s until 2020.
Sinarimbo is expecting the P25 million facility will be completed within the next six weeks.
The facility will serve as a center for religious reorientation and livelihood education for former Abu Sayyaf members who have chosen to return to the path of legality, he explained.
Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Mahail Tan, Sr., who chairs the multi-sector provincial peace and order council, along with municipal governments under his jurisdiction, has successfully facilitated the surrender of 518 Abu Sayyaf terrorists and their supporters in the past three years.
Brig. Gen. Allan Cruz Nobleza, director of PRO-BAR, emphasized that the reformatory center under construction in Patikul will expedite the reintegration of reformed former Abu Sayyaf terrorists into local communities.
He also expressed gratitude to MILG-BARMM for supplying new police station buildings and patrol cars in recent months to several towns in Sulu. These resources are essential for community projects in remote areas that were previously hotbeds of Abu Sayyaf activities.
During a session earlier this month, the Sulu Peace and Order Council passed a resolution declaring the province as “Abu Sayyaf free.” (John Felix Unson/ amm)
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