SPECIAL REPORT: From the hills that once hid fighters, a future is being built
Ricky J. Bautista of Samar Chronicle / Patricio P. Diaz Fellow
CATBALOGAN CITY (MindaNews / 28 August) — In the steep, forested slopes of San Jose de Buan, Samar, there was a time when no one dared to speak too loudly. Children were hushed, and footsteps were measured. The hills echoed not with laughter, but with gunfire, whispered orders, and the rustle of armed men slipping through foliage.
Today, those same hills carry different sounds: hammers striking wood, chickens clucking behind woven fences, and children laughing in schoolyards.
It’s not just a ceasefire. It’s something deeper. Something growing.
It’s peace.
In early 2025, the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry “Storm Troopers” Division declared the dismantling of the four most active New People’s Army (NPA) guerrilla fronts in Eastern Visayas.
From decades of conflict, what remained were only scattered remnants. No longer an organized force, these armed groups now survive in isolated pockets —fragments of a fading war.
Of the 45 NPA members neutralized across the region during the first half of 2025, 27 surrendered voluntarily.
“This isn’t just a tactical victory,” said Major General Adonis Ariel Orio, commander of the 8ID and Joint Task Force Storm. “It’s a sign that trust is returning. That even those once considered enemies are choosing life again.”
According to Lt. Col. Kim Ilao, commander of the 87th Infantry Battalion based in San Jose de Buan, said the influence of the CPP-NPA-NDF (Communist Party of the Philippines-New Peoples Army-National Democratic Front) has weakened because of the focused military operations, community support program, and strong coordination between the local government unit and the communities.
“Mas ligtas na ngayon ang mga mamamayan, at mas aktibo na silang nakikilahok sa mga programang pangkaunlaran (The communities now feel safer, they are now more active in participating in development programs). While threats persist, the overall situation now leans toward peace and development, he said.
That trust — slowly, patiently earned—laid the foundation for “Saad nga Balay” (Promised Homes), a reintegration program that gives former rebels not just roofs over their heads, but reasons to hope.
Ilao said the 8ID is a partner in providing security and assisting in the implementation of reintegration programs like Saad nga Balay, ensuring that the area is safe and assisting the local government units (LGU) in profiling beneficiaries as well as involving the former rebels to be part of the planning process.
He emphasized that their presence in GIDA (Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas) serves as a bridge of trust between the government and the communities.
The Longest Walk Home
Tito Mabanan Labong, 52, knows the long road out of the hills. He walked it —wounded, haunted, and finally, ready.
He was just 20 when he left home and joined the NPA in 1993. He brought with him his wife and his eldest daughter. He left behind two minor children in the care of his parents. He wouldn’t see them again for two decades.
When he finally returned, his heart sank.
“Nung bumaba na ako para bisitahin sila, hindi nila ako kinikilala,” (When I came down to visit them, they did not recognize me), Tito said, his voice quivering.
“Masakit. Pero hindi ko sila masisisi. Iniwan ko sila para sumama sa kilusan. Akala ko noon tama ang desisyon ko. Ngayon alam ko, mali ako” (It’s painful. But I can’t blame them. I left them to join the movement. I thought then that my decision was right. Now I know I was wrong).
Tito remains hopeful that his family will soon be reunited under one roof. His wife now runs a small livelihood, while their eldest daughter helps him tend the farm.
Over the years in the underground movement, Tito rose through the rebel ranks — from being a mass recruiter and eventually becoming part of the NPA’s attack unit.
He also recalled being involved in several ambuscades and raids of police stations in Samar including the raid of Motiong Municipal Police Station in 2021.
“Limang araw akong sugatan sa gubat. Walang pagkain. Kahit damo, kinain ko. Akala ko mamamatay na ako noon. Iniwan ako ng aking mga kasamahan” (I was in the forest tending to my injuries for five days. There was no food. I ate grass. I thought I would die there. My comrades left me).
But fate had other plans.
In 2020, a former comrade — Reckie T. Babatio — found him and convinced him to surrender. That conversation saved Tito’s life.
From Combat to Community
Today, Tito wears a different uniform — as a CAFGU Active Auxiliary (CAA), earning P10,000 a month plus allowances. Under Saad nga Balay, he and his wife were granted a small but sturdy home.
“Hindi ko akalaing mapapatawad ako,” (I did not think I would be forgiven), Tito said. “Ngayon may bahay kami, may hanapbuhay. Tahimik na ang buhay. Ito ang tunay na laban” (Now we have a house and livelihood. A quiet life. This is the real fight).
Beside him, Reckie Babatio tends to more than 100 Rhode Island chickens and helps manage a DOLE-registered peacebuilders’ cooperative of 36 former rebels.
Seventeen of the cooperative’s members — most of them couples — have received homes under Saad nga Balay, with more units being built in towns like Calbiga, Matuguinao, and Dolores.
On July 2, 2025, seven more families received homes in Sitio Canahugan.
Each house, built on a 150-square-meter plot, includes two bedrooms, a living area, a small kitchen, and garden space.
“This is not just about giving houses,” said Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan. “This is about giving people back their dignity.”
“To our former rebels, thank you for choosing a more peaceful life,” she said. “You are the living witnesses to how your lives have been better since your return.”
The program began as a vision by Brig. Gen. Lenart Lelina of the 801st Infantry Brigade, backed by the Provincial Government of Samar, the LGU of San Jose de Buan, and the 87th Infantry Battalion led by Lt. Col. Kim Ilao.
Livelihood, Learning, and the Long Road to Healing
Archie Pacios, 25, is one of those recent homeowners. He was barely out of high school when he joined the NPA, thinking he’d receive a scholarship. Instead, he was handed a rifle.
“Akala ko papatayin ako pag sumuko” (I thought I would be killed if I surrender), Archie recalled. But that fear turned out to be a lie.
Today, he serves as a CAA, wears his uniform proudly, and farms the same soil he once ran across in fear.
Under the Pangkabuhayan sa Pagbangon at Ginhawa (PPG) program, returnees are given training in budgeting, business skills, and agriculture.
Ilao said the most effective strategy for reintegration is a combination of security and community engagement under the whole-of-nation approach of EO 70, which includes localized peace engagements, service caravans and housing program.
EO 70 was issued on December 4, 2018 by then President Rodrigo Duterte, created the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
He said they are also using the Security and Stability Operations (SASO) and Community Support Program (CSP) teams to assist the barangays in airing their problems to the LGU, he said.
“One of the main challenges is addressing the root causes of the insurgency — lack of basic services, and wrong information,” he said.
Since August 2024, 17 former rebels in San Jose de Buan have received housing under Saad nga Balay. Around 38 others across Motiong, Paranas, and San Jose de Buan were provided financial and livelihood support under LSIP (Local Social Integration Program) and E-CLIP (Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program).
Some former rebels are now CAFGUs, others serve as forest rangers. Several have volunteered for Army auxiliary service, even guarding their own communities.
Some returnees also now serve as forest rangers, patrolling the Samar Island Natural Park, once their hiding ground — now their protected territory.
In sitios like Babaclayon, Hiduroma, and Hilumot, the government built new schools, shortening what was once a risky hours-long trek for children into a walk of a few safe minutes.
Not all healing is visible so the Army helped 35 former rebels apply for amnesty under Executive Order No. 70, assisting them with paperwork, legal advice, and emotional support.
“Nag-uusa kita nga naglalakat – usa nga pitad, usa nga istorya, usa nga kinabuhi ha kada higayon.”(We walk together—one step, one story, one life at a time), a military officer said.
Peace, Piece by Piece
Peace doesn’t arrive like thunder. It’s quiet. It’s fragile. It grows slowly—in garden plots, classrooms, and the steady hands of a father building a chicken coop.
“There are still challenges,” admits San Jose de Buan Mayor Christal Jean Elizalde. “Some sitios remain isolated, and some returnees still feel the sting of judgment. But step by step, house by house, we’re getting there.”
Elizalde shared that the LGU plans to further improve the Saad nga Balay community by adding perimeter fencing for security, as well as building a basketball court, a chapel, and other shared facilities.
“We want it to feel like a real neighborhood, not just a settlement,” she said.
Currently, the community already enjoys electricity with minimal monthly payments, solar-powered street lights, and even small upgrades by residents—some houses have been expanded, and a few have set up piso-WiFi outlets to earn extra income and serve neighbors.
From the Hills, a Future
From the hills that once hid fighters, a future is being built—quietly, stubbornly, and with care.
Tito now teaches his grandchildren how to plant cassava. Riecke teaches others how to raise chickens. Archie, once too afraid to speak to a soldier, now wears the same uniform and speaks to others still in hiding — offering them a way out.
These men once took up arms believing they had no choice. Now, they lift hammers, carry seedlings, and walk freely into town not as threats—but as neighbors.
It is not a perfect journey. Some communities remain wary. Trauma does not vanish overnight. But in San Jose de Buan, and in other remote towns once marked only by conflict, the change is real.
Paths once carved by fear now lead to classrooms, gardens, and homes.
It’s not just peace that’s growing in Samar—it’s trust, purpose, and the long-overdue sense that even in the farthest corners of our country, a second chance is possible.
“These stories may not always make the news,” said Mayor Elizalde, “but this is where peace truly begins—not through vengeance, but through rebuilding.”
And so, in the mountains once ruled by bullets, life is returning—slowly, gently, and with dignity.
Because sometimes, the most powerful revolutions begin not with fire, but with forgiveness.
And sometimes, the bravest act is not to fight … but to come home.
[Ricky J. Bautista / Samar Chronicle. This story was produced under the Patricio P. Diaz Fellowship Program, implemented by the Mindanao Institute of Journalism and MindaNews under the Media Impact Philippines project. The program is supported by International Media Support (IMS) and co-funded by the European Union and the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA)]
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